


Said the Spider to the Fly

by MoonSword1994



Series: The Spider's Web [2]
Category: Death Note, Death Note & Related Fandoms
Genre: Abandonment, Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Light Is Not Kira, Arguing, Canon Aspects, Challenges, Chocolate, Death Threats, Defiance, Deneuve Makes an Appearance, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Fear, Genderbending, Grief/Mourning, Kidnapping, Light Angst, Light Makes a Choice, Murder, Murder Mystery, Not completely canon compliant, Pillow Fights, Pillow Talk, Plans For The Future, Realizations, Romance, Slightly Resolved Sexual Tension, Slow Romance, Suspense, Suspicions, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-27
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2018-08-18 06:17:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 25
Words: 82,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8152021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonSword1994/pseuds/MoonSword1994
Summary: In the spider web of facts, many a truth is strangled-Paul Eldridge.Murder and mystery surround L but he never thought they could become human. Murder comes to him as Kira. Mystery approaches him as Light Yagami. All three of them are tangled together in the spider's web.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ShiranaiAtsune](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShiranaiAtsune/gifts).



> This is the sequel to the two-shot It's Different for Girls. It features genderbent and some slightly OOC characters. This was requested by Shiranai Atsune and I am very pleased with how it has gone so far. This first chapter is L's POV of how the second chapter of It's Different for Girls. This will follow somewhat canonically as far as timeline events. Enjoy!

The world was a cruel and unforgiving place, one where the weak were forgotten and the strong thrived, a rotting place with rotten people. No one knew this better than L, having dove head first into the cesspool of violence and deceit from a young age nothing was shocking to him any longer. That was, at least, until unexplained deaths began happening all over the world. The killings were methodical and unforgiving, almost instant death to anyone who so much as jay walked. Whoever was behind this was getting bolder the longer this went on; at first it had been a few deaths here and there, as if the killer were testing the waters, then once L took the case the killings increased to almost astronomical levels. He had been in Japan barely a month when things began taking a turn for the interesting.

"Did you learn anything from your field work, Ryuzaki?" asked Chief Soichiro Yagami of the NPA. "I know it's been a while since it happened, but you haven't revealed much about it."

L shrugged, the memory of it assaulting his mind rather aggressively despite his calm exterior. "Nothing that would be of particular interest, at least not yet." He flipped through that morning's paper, looking to see whom had been killed lately, the local and international news stations on low volume on the monitors in front of him. "The suspect did seem to have a great deal of pride, however, and enjoyed gaining the upper hand. Defeat and surrender are not words in its vocabulary."

Soichiro nodded. "That would go along with your theory about Kira, especially after he so boldly accepted your challenge, killing several people with the letter 'L' in their name. I must admit, during that broadcast I was not expecting that kind of escalation."

"Yes, I had hoped that things would remain stagnant," said L as he turned the page, scanning it for anything interesting. "I do not like the fact that many died because of my challenge to Kira but it can't be avoided now. Kira seems so keen on killing me and gaining my attention, I am afraid I am forced to deal with this matter personally."

"How do you intend to accomplish this?" asked Soichiro as he watched the news, notepad in hand in case he wanted or needed to write down something.

Again L shrugged. "Despite the fact we already have suspects in mind, we haven't learned about why Kira was motivated to kill or what he hopes to gain out of this or even how he kills. So far it just seems like he is determined to rid the world of anyone whom does not live up to his impossible standards for humanity. That leaves room for too many variables and victims." L paused in his reading, his eyes drawn to a picture in the celebrity news section of the paper. "I didn't realize your daughter was acquainted with the model Masumi Amane, Mr. Yagami."

Soichiro leaned over and saw the image that L was looking at. "Yes, Light's known him since she started high school, and they've also kept in touch since Amane graduated high school. I believe Light sometimes assists him with his schoolwork when he's too busy."

"I see," said L as his eyes burned the image of Light into his brain. "Is Amane interested in pursuing a relationship with Light?"

"I'm sure it has crossed his mind," replied Soichiro with a slight chuckle. "Not that Light would seriously go out with him, she calls him the dumbest man she's ever met and considers him nothing more than a friend. I believe my wife mentioned that Light would be hanging out with him today, actually. Why do you ask, Ryuzaki?"

"Inherent curiosity," replied L and he glanced at the clock. "Mr. Yagami, would you indulge me for something?"

Soichiro raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be, Ryuzaki?"

"A break to take a walk," said L as he stood up from his chair, stretching his legs a little to wake them back up. "I know that will stall progress, but I find that sometimes I am in need of fresh air to stimulate my mind."

"I understand completely," said Soichiro kindly. "Please, feel free to take your break, after all you are in charge here. The Task Force and I can keep things going while you're out."

L began walking towards the door of the hotel room, passing by the five other members of the Task Force he had assembled a couple of weeks prior while they went through a seemingly endless pile of documents. When he was outside of the room he pulled out his cell phone and pressed the first number on his speed dial. "Watari, bring the car around," said L as he walked towards the elevator. "And while you're at it, please attempt to locate Light Yagami."

* * *

When L arrived at the coffee shop, he was astounded by how noisy it was given that it was barely noon and most people would have already had their morning coffee by now. Still, that did not perturb him, he selected a table in the back of the shop and perched himself on a seat there keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of Light. Watari had tracked Light's train pass, finding that she had gotten on a train to take her to this district and after a quick search, he determined that this would be a good spot for her to come and if he was wrong he would at least have a high chance of spotting her walk past. The thought of seeing Light again made his heart beat wildly in his chest, he had meant what he said to her during his first weeks in Japan when he was investigating a potential suspect, he would come for her again. He just had not expected it to happen so soon or when he needed to be focusing solely on the case. Then again, he discovered not too long after meeting her that whenever he thought of her, his brain would cease to function properly and would instead dream up scenarios that either made him ache with need or ache with loneliness. For one brief and shining moment, he was able to forget everything else in his life and focus on just being with someone, someone who was even more of a mystery to him than even Kira. He longed for that interaction again.

The door to the coffee shop opened and L frowned deeply when he saw Amane pulling Light in, he had hoped when Soichiro said that Light was meeting Amane it would be with a group of people, not a date. He gripped his knees tighter.

He watched closely as Amane found a table and pulled out Light's chair for her, Light hardly seemed enthralled with the fact she was here with him but she was putting up a convincing act nonetheless. They spoke for a few moments then Amane went to the counter, probably to order, leaving Light alone. For a moment, he thought about going over there and speaking with her, but he kept himself rooted to his chair; it was very likely that she was still very angry at him for how he treated her at the party and if he approached her now, it could create a very ugly scene. Instead he willed himself to stay still and silent as he observed Light taking in the people of the shop, her eyes not even glancing in his direction once.

Amane showed back up at their table, drinks in hand and he sat down across from Light with his back to L. L stared intently at Light for any sign of interest in whatever Amane was saying and he could find none, it seemed that she was only smiling and looking happy to please her friend. After a few moments of talking, Amane reached across the table and put his hand on Light's but she quickly retracted it, looking for a second very uncomfortable. Light said something that could only be a kind rejection before Amane was reaching for her hand again. Then Light's expression changed to something far darker than L would have expected her to make, Amane must have said something that was very inappropriate.

Light seemed to be speaking harshly to Amane and L smirked despite himself, then he watched in silent glee as she stood up from the table and left the shop, Amane standing and calling back for her. L wanted to laugh at Amane's reaction but he knew it would be best not to draw attention to himself and besides, as soon as Light was gone several women in the place swarmed around Amane apparently trying to comfort him. _'It would be best to leave her alone for a while,'_ thought L when he considered running after Light, coming to the conclusion that she would definitely not be in the mood to see him.

Instead he sat there and watched as two of the women whom had offered to comfort Amane took up residence at his table, patting his hands and giving him words of encouragement or endearment L could not tell. Not that it mattered, it was entirely likely they just wanted to get a date with him for later.

"Are you going to order?" asked a voice from his left, he looked over to see a barista waiting impatiently, her arms crossed against her chest and tapping her foot.

"I suppose so," replied L. "A large cup of Earl Grey tea please, seventeen sugars and a touch of milk to go."

The barista looked at him as if he were crazy but she went back to the counter anyway, he knew she would make him what he ordered, there was nothing else she could do now that he had. L thought that now would be a good time to muse over the case, now that Light was gone for now. He went over the facts carefully in his mind: the first dozen deaths could be classified as experiments rather than outright kills, the ones that followed were definitely murders without the experiment angle. The number and time of deaths were consistent everyday, the only exception was during the day of the broadcast, when almost three dozen criminals and important figures were murdered because they had the letter 'L' either at the beginning of their first, middle, or last name. L was sure he had struck a nerve rather strongly when he implied that what Kira was doing was evil and he deserved whatever punishment he received.

As far as potential suspects, he had focused primarily on anyone having something to do with the law, as it seemed Kira was acting as judge, jury, and executioner. So far they had narrowed the list substantially and he was sure he had a strong lead but he could not be completely sure, after all they did not have everything about Kira at their disposal. Then there was the fact that he had met and slept with Chief Yagami's daughter while conducting his fieldwork, an unexpected complication. L smirked again as the barista set down his tea, recently every train of thought he had always circled back to Light. He took a sip of his tea and was unsurprised to find that it tasted as sweet as it should, then he set it back down. _'I wonder if there is a way I can handle both of my preoccupations simultaneously,'_ he mused as he pulled out some money and put it on the table then took his drink and left the shop.

* * *

The sidewalks felt just as crowded as the coffee shop and L wondered how people dealt with this kind of inconvenience every single day. He took a large sip of his tea as he tried not to run into anyone while he walked, his eyes on the look out for any sign of Light. It had been almost a half hour since she left the coffee shop and he figured it was probably a better time to see her than when she had left her disastrous date with Amane. Sighing a little he scanned the crowd again and spotted a familiar head of chestnut brown hair, he was sorely tempted to run over to where she was but stopped himself at the last minute, this situation would have to be handled with extreme tact if he did not want to end up slapped or worse.

Taking a deep breath he quickly determined her most likely route and followed it from his end, very pleased with himself when he was in fact right about it. The two of them stopped walking when they came face to face with each other.

"Hello Light," he said casually, glad that his hands were in occupied otherwise he would be fidgeting under her scrutinizing gaze. "It's nice to see you."

"Likewise," replied Light coldly. "Out for a walk?"

He shrugged. "You could say that, I guess. You seem to be doing well, if you're able to go on a date with a local celebrity."

L watched as her expression went from suspicious to guarded. "Were you stalking me?"

"No, I just happened to be in the coffee shop at the time," he said, trying to keep his voice calm and even. "I have to say he hardly seems your type, Light, his intelligence is probably less than half of yours. Why would you go out with someone like him?"

"Change of pace," said Light, moving a little opposite of his position. He could tell she is preparing to leave as fast as she could and he feels disappointed. "Anyway, I should be going, I'm expected at home."

He watched her carefully, his dark eyes locking with her amber ones. "It seems you have forgotten my promise, that I would come for you again."

Light's expression was a mask, he could tell, one that was designed to hide whatever emotions she was feeling at the moment. She could not, however, change how her eyes appeared and for that he was both grateful and sickened. The night they met, she had looked at him with immense interest and her eyes, a beautiful brown color with flecks of red and gold, had held so many unspoken words and promises he wanted to ask her right there to be his. Now, they held nothing but contempt and whatever promises he saw, they were not the sweet ones he had seen before, these seemed more like promises of retribution.

"I don't expect liars to keep their promises," she said, her words cutting like a knife and colder than ice. Light then began walking away, keeping her gaze focused on everything else except him or the area where he stood. "Goodbye, Ryuzaki."

He stood where he was and watched her walk away, he wanted to call out to her, shout that he had missed her, anything except stand there like a damned fool. L continued to watch even when she had rounded a corner and was out of his sight, only when he was sure he could move again did he reach into his pocket and pull out his phone.

"Watari, please bring the car," he said, his voice monotone as his mind worked to come up with a way of bringing Light into his dark world.


	2. Chapter 2

" _. . . and I will always love you, from now until the end of time,_ " came Hideaki Ryuga's scratchy voice from the television. Sayu squealed loudly, her small face mere centimeters away from the screen as she watched the movie Light had bought her that afternoon, this was probably her third viewing of the film and she had not disappointed in her reactions. She still sighed, cried, laughed, squealed, and yelled whenever appropriate even though she knew what was coming next. Light shook her head as she took a bite of her dinner.

' _Maybe I shouldn't have bought the movie,'_ she considered as she saw their mother roll her eyes at Sayu's declaration of love to the pop star and lament that no boy she knew was just like him.

"I'm sorry about the movie," muttered Light so only Sachiko could hear. "I just thought she would really enjoy it."

Sachiko smiled warmly at her eldest daughter. "Don't worry about it, sweetie, she was bound to buy another movie of his soon enough. And you were right, she is really enjoying it."

"Oh my love, I will find some way to repay your kindness," said Sayu, speaking along with the movie. "No one would willingly love a woman like me, and I hope to show you how much I love you."

Light mimicked retching and Sachiko put her napkin up to her mouth to keep Sayu from seeing her laughing. Sayu's head spun around in their direction, her face screwed up in an expression of moderate anger and annoyance as she glared at her mother and sister.

"Knock it off, Light!" she shouted, her tone full of irritation. "Just because you're jealous of the girl with Hideaki doesn't mean you have the right to make fun."

"Jealous?" repeated Light incredulously. "What makes you think I'm jealous of whoever Hideaki Ryuga's love interest happens to be this time? And just to point it out, that isn't a real relationship, it's borderline insane."

"It is not!" huffed Sayu, her arms crossed so tightly against her chest Light thought they might be swallowed by it entirely and leave her armless. "Besides, if things work out with Amane, this could be you two someday."

Light wanted to vomit at the thought. "Thank you for giving me another reason to never ever date a celebrity like him. I would hate to demean myself to that level."

Sayu looked like she was about to scream.

"Girls, please stop arguing," beseeched Sachiko calmly. "Sayu, quit bringing up Light's personal life and Light, stop antagonizing your sister. You know full well what you're doing."

"Yes, ma'am," replied both girls, their voices gloomy, neither one liked being reprimanded by their mother even if it was a far kinder scolding than most of their friends got. To them it meant they had disappointed their mother and neither enjoyed that feeling.

The two girls resumed their previous activities and when Light was finished with her dinner she picked up Sayu's plate and walked it over to her sister, handing it to her like a type of peace offering. Sayu looked at it then looked at her sister, grinning so broadly when she took it that Light was concerned her face might break, but she reciprocated with a smile of her own though not nearly as wide. Now that peace was established between her and her sister, Light headed up to her room to study, at least that was what she told her mother.

When she arrived at her bedroom, Light closed the door and headed for her bed, diving onto it with a dejected sigh. She reached for the nearest pillow, holding it against her chest while the day's earlier events travelled through her mind at an impossibly slow speed. Ryuzaki's sudden appearance was not something she had ever expected, if anything she had been fully prepared to never see him again and she had just come to terms with that not too long ago. Now that she had seen him and he had echoed the promise he made her that night, it made her insides squirm both pleasantly and uncomfortably. She wanted to believe that he had not been lying that night, that he really was glad to have been with her, but her mind could not accept that possibility as readily as her heart and they battled endlessly about it. Even his words this afternoon did nothing except fuel the battle, her heart taking it as a sign he cared while her mind came up with various devious explanations for them and his reappearance.

Groaning into the pillow, she decided to push Ryuzaki as far as she could from the forefront of her mind as possible and then got out of bed, heading to her desk under the window in her bedroom. She glanced at the dark sky and was disheartened yet again when no stars were shining, she knew that living in a city meant no stars but still she liked the idea of looking out of her window and seeing an endless number of them. She sat down and opened her laptop, she clicked on the email icon and was surprised to see one from her homeroom teacher.

_Subject: College Mentor_

_Light,_

_One of the alumni has agreed to be your college mentor. He is studying at To-Oh University to become a prosecutor and I believe will have valuable information for you, since you want to pursue a career in law enforcement. I have included his contact information at the bottom of the email. Good luck!_

Light looked at the bottom of the email and found the name of the alumni as well as an email address. She frowned at the name, it was all too familiar to her for her liking: Teru Mikami. In all honesty she could not be sure that this Teru was the same one that had approached her and Ryuzaki at the party, but that did not mean she was happy to have yet another reminder of the night she considered her biggest mistake. Still, it could not hurt to at least send this man an email, after all it had taken her homeroom teacher almost half of the year to find her one. That was more or less her own fault since she was hardly interested in a mentor and had given her teacher a long list of requirements for any potential one in the hope that he would never find one.

_Subject: Hello_

' _Oh yes, that's very clever and urbane,'_ thought Light sarcastically as she continued to draft the email.

_Mr. Mikami,_

_I'm sure by now you already know my name, I'm Light Yagami, a fourth year student preparing to enter To-Oh University after graduation. My area of interest is law enforcement; more specifically I desire to become a detective/investigator private or otherwise. I appreciate your interest in being my college mentor and I look forward to working with you soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Light Yagami_

Light smirked as she sent the email, fairly certain that this minor irritation would be over with rather quickly and she could resume her normal life without any further distractions. Pushing away her laptop, she pulled out her textbook and opened it to the last page she had been studying from, immersing herself completely in the ideas and theories of someone else.

Suddenly a chime sounded on her laptop and she woke it up to find that she had an email, quickly she clicked on it and was surprised that it was from Mikami.

_RE: Hello_

_Miss Yagami,_

_If you are amenable, I have a two-hour window Thursday afternoon when we can meet. I would suggest To-Oh campus as part of my responsibilities as a mentor is to assist you in familiarizing yourself with the campus. There is a small café near my dorm and would be an excellent place to discuss your future ambitions._

_Sincerely,_

_Teru Mikami_

Light almost laughed at the formality in his reply, whomever this man was he was certainly taking his position as her mentor seriously. She fired off a quick reply confirming that she would be available at that time then turned off her laptop, smiling to herself as she resumed her studies.

* * *

It was not stalking per say, at least L did not consider what he was doing as stalking, more like learning everything he could on a potential ally of justice. On L's screen were dozens of images and excerpts of information on Light; it was all innocent he had told himself and Watari when he had asked, all he was doing was trying to locate a means of bringing Light into the investigation without rousing suspicion from her or especially from her father. So far all he had discovered was their mutual love of tennis, an impressive list of books she had checked out of the library since she was young—most of which he himself had read multiple times—and an interest in becoming a detective someday as evidenced by the fact she had assisted on a few of her father's cases. He supposed that last finding could be his angle but he had nothing concrete to back up his request for another investigator, at least not yet.

"There has to be something," he mumbled as he switched images from one of Light holding a tennis championship trophy to one of her standing with her family at an award's ceremony for her father. He wondered how it was possible that there was not a single photograph of her looking the way she did that night they met; with shining eyes that held insatiable curiosity and an intelligence that rivaled his own, a haughty beauty with a kind heart. Every image he saw was the same mask with minor differences, that of a demure girl without any true ambitions, who played down the fact she was a child prodigy with a bright future for the sake of those around her. Not too long into this little side project of his, he had decided that he vastly preferred the Light he saw to the one she presented herself as, the one he met was probably closer to the true Light than the girl in these pictures.

Looking up over his monitor he saw the members of the Task Force struggling to stay awake, however Matsuda had already lost that fight and was sleeping soundly with his head on a pile of papers for a pillow. Aizawa and Ukita were both yawning as they struggled together to read over the list of Kira's latest victims, both had two large cups of coffee sitting within reach. Mogi was falling asleep at his computer, his eyes would close only for his head to droop and startle himself awake. Soichiro was probably the most awake of the group; he was sitting at his computer inputting some potential clues about Kira's whereabouts and a few other facts that might be of use later. L supposed this was the best time to strike up a conversation.

"Mr. Yagami, could I have a moment?" L asked, his voice barely above a whisper and only a couple of Task Force members looked up as Soichiro headed to L's workstation.

"What is it, Ryuzaki?" asked Soichiro, his voice conveying how truly exhausted he was.

"I've been thinking about something," replied L, checking his screen to make sure all unnecessary images and files about Light had been removed. "It's entirely possible that we will have to bring in another investigator."

Soichiro looked understandably surprised. "Ryuzaki, you know that's impossible, everyone at the NPA has already backed out of the investigation save for the men here in this room."

L nodded, his normally short patience remaining miraculously intact. "I understand, Mr. Yagami, but that doesn't dismiss the fact that in case one of your men or even you should fall ill or god forbid be killed in the line of duty, we would need someone to take their place. Even if it was just for a short while."

"I see your point," conceded Soichiro. "I'm going to assume that you already have someone in mind for this?"

"Yes," replied L and he brought up one of Soichiro's old cases, one Light had assisted in solving. "I've been going through old NPA case files to see if there would be anyone worth convincing to assist us in our cause, and your daughter's name came up quite a few times. Honestly, it didn't occur to me until a few minutes ago that I should be looking for help outside of the NPA, as an outsider would have a fresher eye compared to a hardened officer."

Soichiro's eyes widened. "You can't seriously be considering the idea of asking my daughter to work here?"

Again L nodded. "I am, and she seems quite capable of taking up the case should any of you fall. I'm not saying she would do fieldwork or anything like that, but her insight would be priceless and she might see things even I have missed."

"I still don't agree," replied Soichiro, his parental instincts coming to the surface. "You saw what happened when you challenged Kira, we lost several officers as well as innocents and criminals. Light would be in danger if she worked with us—"

"No she wouldn't," interrupted L, his gaze boring straight through the chief. "No one would suspect her, a fourth year high school student, of being involved in a murder investigation. If anything, she would be the last person on any criminal's list."

"But Kira isn't just 'any criminal'," argued Soichiro. "He's the worst mass murderer in the history of law enforcement and in his mind, Light would probably be a top contender as someone working with you. No, Ryuzaki, I don't agree with this idea. If you need a replacement or two in the wings, I have a few people I could try to reason with. My daughter does not need to be involved in this, she needs to stay safe and away from a potentially dangerous situation. I'm sorry, but that's my final word on the matter."

"I understand," said L though he was incredibly angry at being cut off like that. "I'm not a father myself but I can sympathize with not wanting to put someone you care deeply about in harm's way."

Soichiro nodded and smiled a little though it seemed misplaced for the situation, regardless he stood up and walked back over to his station ready to resume his work. L watched him with some mild interest, noting some physical differences between the man he met a few days ago and the one sitting at the computer. Soichiro had always carried himself with humility and understated pride befitting the Chief of Police, his shoulders back and head held high with an air of righteousness. Lately it seemed that the chief had all but forgotten how to carry himself, his shoulders were now almost always stooped as he walked and the air about him always seemed to read apprehensive now; his voice still carried the memory of command yet it was not the same one that had so boldly demanded answers from him during the first days of the investigation. This was certainly not a good sign.

"Mr. Yagami," said L and he watched Soichiro tense, possibly worried about being reprimanded or that the conversation was not over, "please try to take a few breaks these next few days, working yourself into the ground won't solve this case any faster."

The other man visibly relaxed, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. "I'll keep that in mind, Ryuzaki, thank you for the concern."

"You're welcome," replied L and he sat there thinking. While his initial reason behind suggesting replacements was to get Light here so he could at least speak with her civilly, the more he thought about the better it sounded to involve an outside source to work in places he himself and the Task Force could not. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, dialing Watari's number yet again. "Watari, please get me the head of the FBI."


	3. Chapter 3

To-Oh University was everything Light thought it was and more, just riding on the bus to the campus stop was proof enough. There were several tall buildings that gleamed in the sunshine, giving the impression of being the crown jewels of the university and beacons of learning all at once. The campus lawn was immaculately kept, cherry trees lined the walkways and flowers of every variety were planted seemingly everywhere, arranged by type and color. Light was incredibly excited to be here, she had seen pictures of the campus online and in the brochures at school but nothing compared to how it looked in person.

The bus stopped and she got off with several other students, looking around she scanned the bystanders for someone who could possibly be her mentor. Suddenly a familiar looking man approached her and she cringed.

"Light Yagami?" he asked, his tone polite and professional.

"Yes," said Light, wondering if this was some sick joke being played on her by the universe. "You must be Teru Mikami."

Mikami nodded. "I am, now where would you like to go first?"

Light was a little surprised that he was not bringing up the fact she slapped him at a fraternity party but then again, he either did not remember or did not want to bring their past into this working relationship. Either way, she was grateful not to think about it further. "Perhaps you could start by showing me the library?" she suggested. "I have a feeling I'll be spending a great deal of time there once I start university."

"A very astute thought," replied Mikami and they began walking towards the library. "So tell me Light, what made you settle on being a detective as a future career?"

"I enjoy solving puzzles," said Light with a slight shrug. "And crimes happen to be very large puzzles that benefit the betterment of humanity. I wish to assist humanity in whatever way I can."

"I see," said Mikami, his expression stoic. "I hope to become a prosecutor for similar reasons, as I see that the evil in the world is growing in strength without anyone to combat it. Detectives and prosecutors must work together in a symbiotic relationship that allows evil to be defeated; the detectives use the clues left behind to discover who did the crime and why, then the prosecutor must see that person brought to justice. Without the detectives, prosecutors would be unable to do their jobs and without prosecutors, detective work would be pointless."

Light nodded her understanding. "That explains why you wanted to be my mentor, after all it would be best if I understood what a prosecutor does exactly if I hope to work with one someday. And it wouldn't hurt if you familiarized yourself with how detectives work if you are to be bringing criminals to justice."

"A mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship," reiterated Mikami. "It would be unwise to assume that just because you work in a certain position means you understand how the other side works. That is where ignorance breeds and we cannot work in our positions if we are blinded by ignorance."

"Yet the rest of the world seems to disagree," countered Light as they walked down a pathway flanked by cherry trees. "They see ignorance as a blessing, one that is used to keep the populace happy and content while they remain blind to how rotten the world really is. Take for example Kira, through his actions he has brought attention to the growing problem of criminal activity, now people are talking about what should be done either about him or the issue of increased crime rates. Either way, he is slowly bringing them out of their ignorance."

"Do you agree with Kira?" asked Mikami, adjusting his glasses.

Light thought about it for a moment. "From an objective view point, I can see Kira's point, the world is full of undesirables whom have proven to be more destructive to the world than beneficial. But subjectively I can't support him after what happened during L's broadcast, he killed innocents unnecessarily just to prove a point that he will kill L when he gains the opportunity. If he had stuck to killing just criminals, I might have been a supporter."

Mikami nodded as he opened the door to the library. "You have a keen mind, Miss Yagami, one that I am sure will not go to waste here at To-Oh."

"Thank you, Mr. Mikami," she said as she stepped through and was instantly in love with the library. The space was open like a large chapel, complete with a huge floor to ceiling window at the other end that seemed to provide all the light required for the building. There were at least three stories above the ground floor, the balconies visible from her position and she could just make out the seemingly endless rows of bookcases stuffed full of books. _'I'm dead and this is Heaven,'_ she concluded as she followed Mikami.

* * *

The spoon moved like a pendulum between L's index finger and thumb as he looked at the freshly compiled list of all Kira's victims, starting with the ones he concluded were experiments to the ones that happened only that morning. It was an even number, even when taking into account the people killed as a result of his broadcast. The fact it was an even number suggested that Kira liked balance, that to a certain degree he was a tad OCD and that would fit his original profile but there was something off. What bothered him the most were those killed in response to his broadcast either the day of or a few days later. These killings were not like the ones before that, when compared, seemed controlled and methodical; the ones done in retaliation were thought through yes, but it was very out of Kira's character. Especially when the normal killings were being carried out along with them.

' _I'm missing something,'_ he thought as his spoon moved up and down between a couple of names on his list. He glanced down at where it was and his eyes widened. _'There's a message for me here.'_

While the killing of people with the letter 'L' in their name was an obvious statement, there was something else. Something that Kira meant for only him to see and it was in this list of names starting from the day of the broadcast:

Ina Leech

Steven Lyle Diego

Evelyn Lander

Ethel Lorraine Harris

Yoko Lancaster

Oliver Louis Stein

Ursula Lewis

Lawrence Kennedy

Lily Morris

Anthony Luck

Walter Leonard Blanc

Lena Olson

Isabella Lee

Evan Lent

Timothy Landon

' _No! No! No! No!'_ he screamed in his head when he saw the message in the names: I see you L Lawliet. It was a direct message, not to L the World's Greatest Detective but to him personally and by someone who obviously knew his most well guarded secret: his real name. This had to be a mistake, yet how could it be when Kira obviously knew what he was doing when he wrote this message? L looked at the list again and almost ripped the paper to shreds, whoever Kira was knew he would list the victims not by name but by time of death and that was how he chose his victims, at least the ones that would send him the intended message. He was not sure what made him angrier the fact that these people were deliberately targeted for this purpose or that someone was toying with him like this was some kind of sick game.

' _This message only used fifteen people, why kill over twice that number?'_ he wondered, willing himself to look at the list once again despite the anger that had welled up within him. Thirty-six was a round number, an even number like the number of victims killed everyday since Kira's emergence, except that was not the meaning here.

' _Mathematically, thirty-six is a square triangular number and the number of possible outcomes of two die being rolled,'_ considered L as brought all he knew about the number to the forefront. _'This could be a reference to the likelihood of me catching Kira being like that of a die roll, yet I don't think so. In Judaism thirty-six has many meanings such as thirty six hours being the time it took God to create the Sun and the number of righteous people who perpetuate the continued existence of the world . . . '_

Did this mean that Kira intended on selecting thirty-six people to be at his side in order to rid the world of whom he saw as detrimental to humanity? Could this be a timeline stating that he would kill for thirty-six days, weeks, months, years, or decades? Either of these was a likely scenario. Thinking about the last month, it had been almost thirty-six days since his broadcast so he could easily test that possibility. Thirty-six weeks would be a bit more time consuming and he certainly did not want to be solving this case for the next thirty-six years, thirty-six months seemed just as unlikely . . . thirty-six months. His train of thought faltered a little when he reached that possibility.

' _Could it be . . .? No, there's no way, and yet . . .'_ his mind spun and he felt sick at just even entertaining the notion.

If what he thought happened had actually come to pass, then he should have been dead at the start of this investigation.

* * *

Mikami led Light all over To-Oh campus, pointing out buildings and possible classes that might be interest to her when she arrived at the school in a few months. She was very glad that he was so knowledgeable about things other than parties and where to get the best deals on alcohol, nearly everything he had pointed out would be of use to her when she started university. The tour concluded when they arrived at the café near his dorm, he guided her to a back corner booth, him sitting with his back against the wall and she sat across from him. A young girl who could not have been much older than Light approached and took their orders then left to another table.

"Thank you so much for the tour, Mr. Mikami," said Light, unable to keep the glow out of her tone. "I learned so much more in these two hours than I would have in a week of exploring the campus by myself."

Mikami dismissed her comment with a slight wave. "Nonsense Miss Yagami, you would have done fine on your own, better than most would in a month. I'm sure you would have the campus mapped out and routes plotted in your first hour."

Light blushed a little at the compliment. "I'm glad you have so much confidence in me, it means a lot coming from my mentor."

"If I didn't think you would excel at To-Oh I wouldn't have agreed to be you mentor," said Mikami with a shrug. "You have a sharp mind that can see things in a way that most do not even see as an option, such a skill should be honed not shut away. It's my recommendation that you find an outlet that allows you to utilize your gifts in a positive way."

"I'll do just that then," said Light pleasantly and they fell into a companionable silence. Light was thinking of what to say next when the hair on the back of her neck shot up and she got the distinct feeling of being watched from someone in close proximity. Chancing a glance she saw no one she knew but there was a man in a dark coat sitting a couple of booths away, when her eyes landed on him he immediately looked away then when he thought she was no longer looking, looked back at where they were sitting.

' _Either Ryuzaki hired a PI to follow me around or this guy has an interest in Mikami,'_ she thought, rolling her eyes. She did not know Ryuzaki very well but it certainly seemed like something he would do based on what she did know.

"He's following me, not you," said Mikami when he saw where she was looking.

Light was surprised. "How do you know and why is he?"

Mikami leaned forward and kept his voice low as he spoke. "About a month ago, I assisted a good friend of mine in bringing charges up against a fraternity brother for rape. When proceedings began, the fraternity got angry and has threatened my life as well as my friend's, so the school brought in bodyguards who are to keep an eye on us until the situation dies down some. I'm not happy about it but I can see the school's position on the matter."

"That's really scary," she said, glancing back at the bodyguard. "I've heard of fraternities and other such organizations getting very angry if one of their own is accused of a crime, what made you decide to go up against them anyway?"

"I've always been one to stick up for the weak and see punishment brought to the perpetrators," replied Mikami. "During elementary school and middle school, I was able to rid my school of its bullies, high school was a different matter of course but that took care of itself. Now, as a future prosecutor, I do what I can to help out those I see to be in need of justice. In this case, I was inspired to help my friend thanks to Kira, without his guidance I wouldn't have had the conviction to seek justice on my friend's behalf."

Light raised an eyebrow. "Did Kira inspire you because you thought if you got the fraternity brother brought up on charges, he would take care of him for you?"

Mikami shook his head. "You misunderstand me, Miss Yagami, while Kira can be considered by many as an incentive to be a good citizen it is up to us to seek justice without his interference. He cannot be everywhere at once and we must find our own justice where we can, in order to assist him in reshaping the world to his image."

"I understand your argument," said Light a little warily. Mikami seemed almost a little too fond of the mass murderer for her comfort. "Kira can dispense the punishment he sees fit on those already convicted of crimes but unless someone acts to find justice first, then the people who haven't been or wouldn't be convicted of a crime will walk away free."

"Exactly my point," said Mikami, the barest smile gracing his otherwise stoic face. "I'm glad you were open to even proceeding with this conversation, Miss Yagami, most people hear Kira's name and immediately change the subject or try to get away from the conversation."

Light shrugged insouciantly. "That's a shame really, because if we don't discuss the difficult issues, how are we to progress as a society? Common things such as birth control, revolution, and religion all started out as difficult issues that no one wanted to discuss because they feared some kind of consequence."

Mikami's smile broadened just slightly. "I'm glad we met, Light Yagami."

After her afternoon snack with Mikami, Light headed for the bus stop intending to go home and study a little before dinner but then she heard footsteps behind her. Glancing over her shoulder she saw Ryuzaki following her at a distance many would not assume was out of the ordinary though she knew better.

"Did you happen to be in this café as well?" she asked, coming to a stop.

Ryuzaki stopped just a few feet away from her. "No, this time I was out for a walk, I happen to be working nearby."

She looked down and saw him wearing the same ratty sneakers he had worn at the party, she noted that he did not wear socks and did not like to keep them tied. "Still looking into Mikami are you?" Light smirked when she saw the tiniest bit of tension enter his casual stance. He probably had not expected her to reach that conclusion so quickly nor deduced why he had been at that party either. In all honesty it took her longer than she cared to admit to come to that realization.

"I see you've gotten reacquainted with him," said Ryuzaki carefully. "Did he happen to mention that you slapped him pretty hard at that party?"

"No, he didn't bring it up once," said Light, giving a pointed look at him. "Are you investigating the rape case too?"

"Rape case?" asked Ryuzaki sounding a cross between confused and intrigued.

Light nodded. "The rape case that's brought him all sorts of trouble lately. He helped a friend of his bring charges against a fraternity brother for alleged rape and now the fraternity is threatening him to the point the university hired a bodyguard for him."

Ryuzaki put his thumb against his lips and seemed to be deep in thought. "Light, I know I have no right to ask this, but did Mikami mention Kira at all?"

"Why?" asked Light though she knew by giving that response she more or less said 'yes' to his question.

"Because I think you should know that he's playing you false," replied Ryuzaki. "While he did help his friend charge the man with rape, what he neglected to mention was he put the name and picture of the alleged rapist on the Internet and begged Kira to kill him."

' _That would certainly explain why he sidestepped my question about why he did this in the first place,'_ thought Light, kicking herself for so willingly accepting his story.

"Don't blame yourself for being convinced by him," said Ryuzaki as if reading her thoughts. "He's very careful and while he may say he actively supports Kira's ideas he'll never admit to beseeching his false god for help. Besides, how were you to know what he does in his spare time?"

"Yes, but how do you know?" asked Light, taking a step closer to Ryuzaki. "Actually, you seem to know a great deal about Mikami and you only met him the one time when you kicked his ass."

Ryuzaki smirked. "Well, I'm glad to know you at least consider that fight to have ended in my favor."

Light frowned, not at what he said but at something she remembered. "Now that I think about it, and after getting to know Mikami a little, it doesn't seem like he's the kind of person to attack from behind when a person is defenseless. If anything he would respect the outcome and move on."

"That does seem possible," said Ryuzaki, his tone suggesting indifference but she saw the way his eyes sparkled at her theory. "If you're interested, we could investigate this a little further to see what we find."

"Even if I was interested, and I'm not, why would you want to work with me?" she demanded. "You were the one who left, remember? You made it perfectly clear you wanted nothing to do with me."

Ryuzaki smiled sadly. "I never said that nor did I mean to imply such a thing." He then looked at the ground. "Would you believe me if I said I missed you?"


	4. Chapter 4

Light tried to focus on her homework. She really, really tried to focus on the work in front of her but for what felt like the hundredth time that day, she went back to Ryuzaki's words.

' _Would you believe me if I said I missed you?'_

When he said it over a week ago, she had been too stunned to respond, caught completely off guard by what had sounded like honest words from who she had tried to convince herself was a dishonest person. Despite the time that had passed the words still made her stomach twist and heart flutter, she had desperately tried to tear them apart so they would no longer have any effect but she had only served to think about them more. She wished she could just scrub the memory from her mind it was far too distracting.

Groaning she slammed her book shut and stood up from her desk, managing not to stomp as she headed out of her room and downstairs looking for any excuse not to be alone or use her brain.

"But Mom," whined Sayu as Light entered the living room, "I promised my friends that I'd hang out with them this afternoon."

Light always figured her mother had the patience of a saint, especially when it came to Sayu. "I'm sorry, but your father's been working over night this last week and needs new clothes for his overnight bag," said Sachiko firmly, a cloth bag in her hands that Light suspected contained a weekend's worth of clothes and toiletries. "Please Sayu."

"Why don't I go?" asked Light, her words startling both of her family members.

Sachiko gave her a tired smile. "Are you sure, Light? Don't you have studying to do?"

"I could really use a break," said Light trying to sound like her mind was not occupied with thoughts of a boy. Sayu always knew whenever she was thinking about a boy. "And I wouldn't want to deprive Sayu's friends of a chance to watch her swoon over Hideki Ryuga."

Sayu rolled her eyes. "Whatever Light, but thanks anyway. I owe you one for this."

Light nodded then took the bag from her mother, heading over to the _genkan_ she put on her shoes and a jacket then headed out the door.

* * *

All twelve FBI agents were dead. Killed with heart attacks just a couple of days ago. L chewed mercilessly on the pad of his thumb, likely drawing blood and damaging nerves but he hardly cared at this point. The agents were dead because of him and his decisions, this only added to the blood that likely dripped rivers from his hands, and that was something he could not forgive. He had decided to shift his focus on the case to discovering who killed the agents, how they were able to do it, and if it was possible that any of them crossed paths with Kira before they and their colleagues died. Considering that the agents had been following potential suspects, it was possible they had but he wanted to see if any of the agent's interactions with the suspects had been out of the ordinary.

"Ryuzaki," said Watari as he approached, bringing L from his thoughts. "Ryuzaki, the President of the United States is on the phone for you."

Silently L motioned for the phone and held it to his ear using his index finger and thumb. "Mr. President, how may I be of service?"

" _You can explain to me why twelve of my best agents are dead!_ " shouted the President, causing L to hold the phone a little further away from his ear. " _L, you've pulled some crazy stunts in the past but this takes the cake. Not only did you convince the head of the FBI to send you agents you also managed to get them all killed by Kira!_ "

"They knew the risks going in," said L but now they were just rehearsed words, meaningless and hollow that were used to blamelessly explain away the fact he had made such a grave mistake.

The President sighed heavily on the other end. " _I didn't want to have to tell you this, but we've decided in light of this tragedy to no longer oppose Kira. I can't in good conscience send my men to face an adversary we know nothing about, I'd rather keep them safe and alive._ "

L's shoulders slumped slightly more with defeat, Kira had managed to scare a nation known for having more backbone than this, he had a sinking feeling that this decision was the result of an offer presented to them by Kira. The FBI agents' deaths were just what pushed them to accept. _'Damn you, Kira,'_ thought L bitterly.

"I see," he said blandly. "Well Mr. President, I can't fault your decision, you must think about the welfare of your nation above all. When I bring Kira to the rest of the world in chains, I will now allow you present at his execution. Good day."

He then hung up before the President had a chance to retort.

"Was that really necessary, Ryuzaki?" asked Soichiro, obviously having overheard the conversation.

L nodded. "Yes, it was. I have a very low tolerance for hypocrites. Consequently that makes dealing with politicians particularly difficult."

Matsuda started to laugh but with one look from Soichiro he closed his mouth tightly, though he seemed to be choking on his laughter, trying to remain professional but failing quite spectacularly.

"Regardless of that, we should now look into the agents' deaths," continued L as he handed the phone back to Watari. "Mr. Yagami, could you and Matsuda please seize all footage from the places the agents were before they died? Mr. Aizawa, I would like you and Mr. Ukita to look into bringing the agents' work computers to be analyzed for anything that could lead us to Kira. Mr. Mogi, please go interview any possible witnesses to their deaths and when you're finished, I have a special assignment for you when you have a moment."

The investigators went to work and L sat at his desk, his knees tucked under his chin as he rubbed his toes against each other while he thought. Something was gnawing at his gut and it was making him uneasy, he was essentially flying blind now that Kira had put a stop to his fieldwork and he had to get a handle on this situation plus another. Without another thought he turned on a laptop that normally remained dormant and typed in a code that only he knew. An Old English MT font letter 'N' appeared on the screen seconds later.

"Near, Mello, this is L," said L and everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him, expressions mirroring each other's confusion and suspicion.

" _L, this is Near,_ " said a soft male voice, it could not have belonged to anyone older than twelve. " _Mello is on his way, but what do you need?_ "

"I have an assignment for the two of you," said L, his face as hard as stone. He had hoped it would not come to this but obviously that was no longer an option. Suddenly there was a split in the image on screen and the letter 'M' in identical font to Near's letter appeared alongside it.

" _Hey L,_ " said a different voice, this was deeper than the first but hardly one that belonged to an adult, more like an older adolescent. " _This is Mello, how can I be of service?_ "

" _Excellent timing as always, Mello,_ " came Near's soft voice. " _L was just telling me that he has an assignment for us._ "

" _Finally,_ " drawled Mello. " _It's about fucking time, L, we've been waiting for our chance to go after Kira._ "

L remained stoic but his voice was deadly. "Mello, you should know that I'm not alone, in fact I'm in a room full of policemen and you should watch what you say in the presence of your betters."

" _Yes, L,_ " said Mello, sounding irritated although managing to squeeze in some respect. " _Hello to the policemen helping L, sorry about my language._ "

"That'll do," said L quickly. "To the point, I have something I need you to look into and I can't do that from my end, there's too much going on here."

" _We heard about the FBI agents,_ " said Near. " _What do you need us to look into?_ "

L purposefully ignored Watari's distressed expression, wanting to get this over with now before he lost the nerve. "Case 18427."

There was silence on the other end and L thought the boys might have fainted. He was about to call Roger to aid them when he heard a soft string of creative curses coming from Mello's end.

" _Are you sure about this, L?_ " asked Mello sounding concerned. " _I mean, I'm sure you have your reasons but—_ "

"You must do this, Mello," said L sternly. "I want you and Near to work together on this one, report back to me when you've completed the task. Get Matt to assist if necessary."

" _L, is there anything specific you want about the case?_ " asked Near, his soft voice sending a cold chill down L's spine.

"Locations," said L and he could feel Watari's eyes heavily on his person. This was going to require a great deal of explanation when they were alone. "And if there's been any recent contact. I know it's likely impossible but I want to be doubly sure."

" _Of course, L,_ " said the boys in unison.

"Alright then, L out," said L and he closed the laptop.

Silence descended upon the room, no one sure if they should even speak.

"Ryuzaki, who were those boys?" asked Soichiro, the only one brave enough to ask the question they were all thinking.

L turned his dark grey orbs to Soichiro. "They're my heirs. The ones who have been selected to take over the role of L should something happen to me."

"They're your sons?" asked Aizawa.

"No," said L with a shake of his head. "They're orphans who were brought to a special school. When they demonstrated intelligence similar to my own, they were selected to begin training to become the next L. They are not the first heirs I have had, but they are the most successful and someday will make a fine replacement, if they can get over their egos and work together."

"What is it you're having them investigate?" asked Soichiro, wondering if he had heard of the prisoner L had referred to.

L thought hard about a possible response for a moment then let out a small breath. "An old case that no longer matters. I merely have a tendency to go back to it whenever a case presents a similar aspect."

Soichiro looked grave. "So you're having these heirs of yours look into an old case just to make them cooperate?"

' _It would seem a convenient explanation has fallen into my lap,'_ thought L as he nodded. "Yes, I test them from time to time to see if there has been any improvement. Now, let us resume our current tasks, we don't have much time and I would like to discover if Kira left us any clues as to his next move before we lose more lives."

That closed down any other possible questions or chances to break his lie, and the Task Force members resumed their various tasks, leaving L to silently burn under Watari's flaming gaze. The old man was angry that much L knew and he would probably be angry with him for a while after this, and while he was concerned he had to run down every lead he could think of even the impossible ones.

"Watari, I need you to contact A and W," said L calmly and he made sure his voice was low enough only he could hear. "I have the distinct feeling that Light is in danger."

* * *

A grey sky hung over Light as a bitter wind blew, indicating a good chance of snow either later today or sometime the next day. Her fingers were numb as she clung to the bag of her father's clothes, cursing her stupidity for not wearing gloves and being exceedingly grateful that the NPA building was not too much further. The cold at least was a distraction from her mental war.

When she entered the large building she headed for the receptionist desk in the center of the lobby where two men were sitting, one on his computer while another argued with a dark haired woman in a leather jacket. Light approached slowly, hoping not to draw too much attention to herself.

"Call them again!" demanded the woman, almost slamming her fist on the desk.

"I've already told you, no one is at headquarters!" argued the receptionist.

"I don't care, call them again!" snapped the woman and the receptionist begrudgingly picked up the phone and started dialing.

' _Dad isn't here? That's strange,'_ Light thought curiously as she put the bag on the desk. "Hi, I'm here to drop these off for Chief Yagami."

"Light! It's great to see you again," said the unoccupied receptionist and he smiled brightly at her. "I was wondering when you'd be by."

"Thank you," she said politely as he handed her a form. "I just have to sign here, right?"

The receptionist nodded. "Yes, then I can have these sent up to your father. Hey Light, are you going to help with the Kira case too? You did a great job with that insurance scam case, I was sure you'd be asked to help out."

Light noticed that the woman was now paying much more attention to her than to the other receptionist and she wondered what she wanted with her father. "I'd like to join but I don't think my dad wants me getting involved. Not that I've seen him much lately, but I'm pretty sure he considers this case too dangerous for me. Especially after what happened to those FBI agents, it was so tragic to lose such good men." She finished signing the paper then handed the pen back to the receptionist. "Anyway, thank you for this, I'm sure my dad will appreciate it."

"Anytime, Light, have a good day and stay warm!" called the receptionist as she started walking away, headed for the door. She braced herself for the cold and pulled open the door, stepping out into the winter afternoon.

She made it down the stairs and was almost away from the property when she heard someone running up to her.

"Hey, wait!" shouted a female voice and she looked over her shoulder to see the woman from before chasing her down. "I want to talk to you."

Light stopped walking and turned to face the woman. "Is there something I could help you with?"

"Your father is Chief Yagami, right?" asked the woman, somewhat out of breath.

"Yes," replied Light with a slight nod.

The woman seemed to be relieved at her answer. "I know this is going to sound highly unorthodox but do you think you could tell him to call me when he gets a chance? I have a possible lead for the Kira case and I'd rather speak to him directly."

"My father hasn't been home much since the investigation started," said Light evenly. "And even less so now that L's involved."

"L's involved now?" asked the woman then she shook her head. "No, I should have expected that, this case would certainly pique his interest. Anyway, do you have a means of contacting your father? I think he and L need to hear my theory."

"Do you mind telling me what it is?" asked Light curiously then she stopped herself. "I'm sorry, it's none of my business. But does this have anything to do with the strange behavior of the latest criminals killed by Kira? Like the convenience store robber being stabbed to death? And the bus jacker?"

The woman seemed taken aback by Light's question. "Yes, that's exactly . . . what made you suspicious?"

"Drug users don't try to rob amusement parks for one," said Light with a small smile.

Ever since her latest encounter with Ryuzaki she had practically drowned herself in schoolwork and following the Kira case as closely as she could, even looking into Ryuzaki's implication that the Internet was being used as a tool for Kira's use. The past week had been particularly interesting regarding the criminals that had died lately as they all died in unusual circumstances. She had watched every news report and read every article she could get her hands on, cataloguing every piece of information and possible clues in case she ever got the opportunity to work on the case. It would seem her opportunity had just come knocking.

"You heard about the bus jacking?" asked the woman, clearly interested now. "Oh, before I forget, my name's Shoko Maki. And I presume yours is Light Yagami? Sorry for the bluntness, but I heard the receptionist call you 'Light'."

Light waved a hand dismissively. "It's fine, he wasn't exactly being shy about who I am. And to answer your question, yes I did hear about it, it was on the news for most of that day. I was very interested in the witness interviews regarding his behavior before and after his death. Even if he were using at that time, he wouldn't be hallucinating just for a brief moment, he would have been hallucinating the entire time. I read that he was a heavy LSD user and while that might explain the hallucination he saw, it doesn't explain why he only saw it near the end of his high jacking. He should have been experiencing it the entire time."

"I see," said Shoko thoughtfully. "Did anything else stand out to you about that?"

"The fact he conveniently died without hurting anyone," replied Light and they started walking. "He unloaded his weapon, not a single bullet hit a passenger even though the bullets ricocheted, then he jumped off of the bus and just happened to get run over by a car? Too many coincidences to be merely fate, in my opinion. And since he matches the typical profile of a Kira victim, I think Kira killed him, which means Kira can kill with other ways not just heart attacks. And if that's true then he can also influence the situation so the criminal will end up dead without potentially harming anyone else."

Shoko looked impressed. "That's exactly what I've been thinking. Actually almost the same line of thought. Why haven't you tried to share this with your father or someone else? You obviously have clout if what the receptionist said was true."

Light shrugged. "The last time I worked with my father on a case, I wasn't taken as seriously as I had hoped. The detectives would come up with all sorts of theories and wild hunches based on nothing but bad speculation, while when whenever I brought up an idea I would meticulously go through my thinking process only to be brushed off. My father looked into my leads and that's how the case was solved, but without him being in charge that wouldn't have happened. With L being in charge, I'm sure he wouldn't even humor the ideas of a seventeen year old girl even with my clout."

"When I first joined the FBI, that was my problem too," said Shoko a little sadly. "I would get assigned to a case, find a lead, and be ignored. But I didn't give up, if anything it just made me work harder to get the recognition I knew I deserved." They stopped walking and she looked at Light with a fond smile. "You know, all it takes is one person giving you a chance. I was lucky and had two people give me a chance to prove my worth as an agent."

"Who were they, if you don't mind my asking?" asked Light politely.

Shoko's dark hazel eyes went darker like a shadow had extinguished the light. "My fiancé Raye. We worked at the FBI together and he saw what I wanted the others to see, he gave me the chance to show them what kind of agent I was and as a result I got the nickname 'Maki Massacre'. I solved the biggest massacre before Kira came around more or less by myself."

Light was very impressed with the woman. "And who was the second person?"

"That would be L," she said softly. "He and I worked together on the murder case in the United States, which is why I wasn't surprised when you said he was working with your father on the Kira case. I'm sure he'd more than happily give you the same chance he gave me."

"Can I ask, what happened to your fiancé?" asked Light, a sneaking suspicion creeping into her mind.

"He was murdered by Kira," said Shoko bitterly. "Raye and the other agents were here secretly, no one knew, at least not until after they died. He was involved in that bus jacking I mentioned, and I'm convinced that was when he tipped his hand to Kira. He tried to stop the man responsible."

Light thought about it for a moment. "Did he reveal his badge to anyone?"

"No one I interviewed said that he had," said Shoko and her eyes went wide. "Do you think that means Raye was just part of an experiment set up by Kira? That maybe he was meant to die then but it was unsuccessful?"

"That's always possible," said Light though she was not convinced. "Anyway, we shouldn't assume to know the inner workings of Kira's mind, after all this is a madman we're dealing with." She then reached into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone.

"What are you doing?" asked Shoko curiously.

"Getting us a chance," said Light as she dialed her father's number. She held it to her ear and was relieved when she heard her father's voice on the other end. "Dad? It's Light. Listen, I've found someone you and L might want to talk to. Here she is." She handed the phone to Shoko.

"Chief Yagami? Yes, this is Agent Naomi Misora," said Naomi, soundlessly apologizing to Light for lying. "Your daughter and I have a theory regarding Kira, when is the soonest we can meet with you and L to discuss it?"


	5. Chapter 5

Light was coming here. She was coming to their temporary headquarters and would know that he had been lying to her, she was going to see him and know the truth or at least part of it. L had never been so terrified in his life. Her behavior towards him was cold at best and that was just due to her _suspecting_ that he was lying to her, what was it going to be like when she learned he actually had lied? He had tried to cancel this entire meeting almost immediately after it was set and when that did not work he had tried to arrange it so he was only meeting with Naomi alone, but the agent had been resolute when she said she wanted Light with her. So L had no choice, he had to allow them both to come.

"Ryuzaki, are you alright?" asked Matsuda, the youngest investigator looking at him with concern in his eyes.

' _No, Matsuda, I'm about to face a soon-to-be pissed off, scorned woman, I'm far from alright,'_ he thought though he knew better than to tell him, that would only lead to very uncomfortable questions that he had no intention of answering right now. "Yes, I'm fine," replied L smoothly. "It's just I was not expecting to reveal my identity to anyone else."

That seemed to placate Matsuda. "Don't worry, Ryuzaki, Light won't say anything to anyone. She's very professional and an excellent detective."

"You've worked with her?" asked L, moderately curious. He knew Light had assisted on some cases with her father but he had not realized that Matsuda was there too, he had just assumed the young man was too new.

Matsuda nodded. "Yeah, a couple of times actually. I've never seen someone work like she did, it was like all the clues were puzzle pieces and she just knew how they fit together. She solved this one case in less than a week and our department had been working on it for almost a month!"

"That is impressive," said L as he put his thumb against his lower lip. _'If this meeting goes well, then I might be able to extend an invitation to her after all, then again I could end up castrated. Why did I want her working with me again?'_

Movement on the nearest monitor dragged his attention away from his thoughts and back to the present situation, Naomi and Light had just exited the taxi he had provided for them, and were headed into the hotel lobby.

"Mr. Mogi, I would like you to go into the next room," said L suddenly. "We can't be sure that Kira isn't watching Naomi, after all she was an FBI agent, and I want you away from the group just in case."

Mogi stood up and nodded, understanding L's logic enough to know not to argue and went into the room where Watari normally was. Soichiro looked worriedly at the monitor that showed his daughter walking with Naomi and L could tell he was concerned about that possibility as well.

"There's no need to be concerned, Mr. Yagami," said L as he began putting sugar cubes in his tea. "What I asked Mr. Mogi to do is just a precaution. I've worked with Naomi Misora before and I know her well enough to know that if she even suspected she was being watched she would not have put Light in harm's way. Do try to have some faith in her."

"Do you?" asked Soichiro, still watching his daughter, they were now walking down the hallway to L's hotel suite.

"Completely," replied L just as someone knocked on the door, the sound matching the one his heart was making as it thumped against his rib cage. For a moment he thought it might break free and fly across the room, an amusing image despite the circumstances.

Aizawa left the room to answer the door, returning moments later with Naomi and Light, both women immediately looking at him. Naomi seemed surprised but smiled kindly at him, they had met once before though under different circumstances and she had not been aware of his identity as L. He gave her a tiny smile in return before even daring to look at Light, outwardly she seemed calm and was wearing a mask of complete awe at being in the presence of the legendary L but when he looked in her eyes he saw hellfire.

' _Kira, if you are the merciful god you claim to be, kill me now,'_ he thought as he watched Light's rage build. He was not sure what was more terrifying: the promise of death in her eyes or the fact that externally she was able to appear so calm? Women were one mystery he was sure he would never be able to solve.

"Light, Agent Misora, this is L," said Soichiro formally and the two women bowed slightly. "He's very interested to hear your theory as he believes it may assist us with the case. While you're here, please refer to him as Ryuzaki. You two may also be given false names, like the rest of the Task Force, if deemed suitable."

"Agent Misora has already proven herself quite capable of that," said Light, looking at Naomi kindly and L envied her. "She had me completely fooled, I'm sorry to say."

Naomi shook her head. "Don't apologize for that, you had no idea to even suspect I might be using a fake name."

L tried to keep his composure. "Yes, it is impressive. Feel free to go by the name you picked, Agent Misora. I'm curious though, what made you think to even use a fake name?"

"I've been keeping an eye on Kira, despite the fact I left the Bureau," replied Naomi, the light in her eyes dimmed. "And based on what I saw on the news and read in several papers, I concluded that Kira needs a name and face in order to kill." She then looked at Light. "I believe Miss Yagami also came to that conclusion, based on some of her comments when we were speaking initially."

"You mean when I asked if Raye had shown his badge to someone?" asked Light and Naomi nodded, L could hear the false confusion in her voice, she knew all along that she was right and what she was doing. She purposefully tipped her hand to Naomi to further gain her trust and confidence, it was also possible that she had used her meeting with Naomi as a means of gaining access to the case.

' _How clever of you, Light,'_ thought L as he watched the exchange. Light was certainly shrewder than she let on to others.

"Back to the topic at hand," said L, making direct eye contact with Light despite the fact he saw murder in her eyes. "What theory did you two come up with? From what Mr. Asahi said, it was very promising."

Light looked at her father for a moment, understanding dawning on her lovely face. Wordlessly, she and Naomi moved to sit down at the chairs closest to L, neither one seeming to be intimidated by the detective like the Task Force initially had been. He was grateful for that much at least.

"I'll get to the point then," said Naomi, looking straight at L. "Light and I have come to the conclusion that Kira can kill by means other than a heart attack."

This was intriguing. "And how did you two come to such a conclusion?" asked L calmly.

"That drug user who was hit by a car," said Light, the conviction in her voice surprising him greatly. "According to eyewitnesses, everyone cooperated with him and gave him no reason to harm them, but suddenly he began hallucinating and unloaded his weapon then ran off the bus like something was chasing him only to get hit by a car. It seemed like too many coincidences to be such, even for a best-case scenario. Not to mention, a clerk stabbed a man trying to rob a convenience store to death on the same day. Two criminals dying of accidental deaths on the same day just hours apart is not very likely unless someone had a hand in their deaths. Kira could be using the fact no one knows the extent of his powers to hide the killings he doesn't want the police to know about."

L was impressed, to say the least. He had been headed towards that same line of thought not too long ago but now it was confirmed for him, Kira had greater power than just killing someone with a heart attack merely by knowing their name and face.

"Wait, how does that indicate that Kira can kill without heart attacks?" asked Aizawa skeptically. "All that could mean that Kira was getting sloppy and didn't kill these two when he had the chance. Maybe the store clerk was feeling bold and took action on his own. The bus jacker could have just not been paying attention when he got off. None of what you said tells me that Kira can kill without a heart attack."

Light's lips pursed to a thin line. "Yes, I suppose what you said is possible. But think about this, why would the bus jacker try to rob an amusement park of all places? He had tried to rob a bank a few days before. And why was no one killed when he unloaded his weapon? During his robbery he had killed two people, so he obviously had no problem with killing. If he had been acting of his own free will, he would have at least tried to kill someone or chosen a different target."

"Light makes a good point," said Matsuda tentatively. "Based on that, it stands to reason that Kira might be able to influence events so no unnecessary lives are lost. That would certainly make sense, otherwise he would just blow up prisons or something. He doesn't want to kill innocents when trying to kill criminals."

' _Did Matsuda just make a good point?'_ thought L as he stared at the young man. _'Yes, his hypothesis would explain why Kira has yet to exhibit any drastic measures.'_

"Then that means Kira's powers are more than what we suspected," said Ukita, sounding concerned, L could not rightly blame him either.

"This is all just speculation," argued Aizawa. "We don't have any proof that any of this is true." He then turned to look at L. "Ryuzaki, what do you think of all this?"

"I think they're exactly right," said L and both women looked relieved. "Actually there were twelve deaths at the beginning that I believe were experiments by Kira, testing when and where he could kill someone, not necessarily how. But after what you've just told me, I am certain that he can control how a person dies as well. Now that we know what to look for, we should look into other deaths that happened and went unnoticed by the police and us for that matter because it was not Kira's typical MO." He popped a chocolate covered cherry into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "Have you two decided what you'd like us to call you while you're working on the case?"

"Shoko Maki," replied Naomi, using the same name she had given Light just a couple of days ago.

"Light Asahi," replied Light, her voice a little tight. "Does this mean that we'll be joining the investigation?"

"Absolutely not!" snapped Soichiro, glaring harshly at L. "Ryuzaki, I told you before that I did not want my daughter involved in this case. It's far too dangerous."

"Shoko seems to be fine with the danger involved," replied L blandly. "And I already told you that she would not have involved Light if she thought it an unnecessary risk."

Soichiro looked ready to strangle him. "That's irrelevant, Shoko can do as she pleases because she's a trained agent, Light is a high school student—"

"One that has solved cases before," interrupted L, wondering if this argument would actually get them anywhere.

"Those weren't nearly as dangerous as this!" countered Soichiro. "And she has her entrance exams to worry about, she shouldn't be getting involved in something like this until she's been fully trained."

"Do I get a say in any of this?" asked Light sounding extremely annoyed.

Both men stopped arguing and looked at her.

"Of course you do," said L immediately. "Membership into the Task Force, is of course, voluntary and must be the person's choice. My apologies for implying otherwise."

Soichiro did not seem happy by this answer but he said nothing, instead he merely nodded and L suspected he was grinding his teeth.

Light looked at L suspiciously and he was fully prepared for a tirade about why she would not join the Task Force. "Kira needs to be stopped," she said with more command in her voice than L thought she would use, "and if Shoko and Ryuzaki are willing to give me the opportunity to help then I'm going to accept the offer. I'm prepared to risk my life just like the rest of you, if it means bringing us one step closer to stopping Kira permanently. We can't let him win, not when we have such a great opportunity to stop him."

"Well said Light," said L though she pointedly ignored him. "Now, with that out of the way, we should—"

Suddenly Soichiro grabbed at his chest and went to his knees, gasping and groaning as he tried to speak but was unable to. Matsuda and Light rushed forward as the rest of the Task Force looked on in stunned silence.

"Call an ambulance, Matsuda!" shouted Light as she clung to her father. "Dad, Dad, please don't leave me! Hang in there, we're getting you help. Matsuda call the freaking ambulance already!"

Matsuda's hand went to his phone and he pounded in the number. "What should I tell them is wrong with him?" he asked only to be met by Light's angry glare.

Light's mask fell away for a moment and L saw the fear in her face. "Tell them he's having a heart attack!"


	6. Chapter 6

The ambulance ride to the hospital felt like it was going at a snail’s pace in Light’s mind, she sat close enough to her father to keep an eye on him but not be in the way of the paramedics as they did their job to try and stabilize him. She had called her mother when she first got in the ambulance, telling her what had happened and which hospital he would be at, then she called Sayu and told her the same thing. Her intention was not to panic her little sister, merely keep her up to date on the situation, but of course Sayu had freaked out when she heard and proceeded to ask a barrage of questions Light found impossible to answer at the moment. She had tactfully told her sister to shut up and that everything would be answered at the hospital before hanging up in order to focus all of her attention on her father.

So far he seemed to be in decent condition, he was at least awake and appeared to be alert enough to tell Light off for worrying her little sister. Light could not find it in her to contradict him, she was just glad to see that he was alive and this probably was not because of Kira. They finally arrived at the hospital almost ten minutes after they picked him up, a fact that made Light frown grimly, by her calculations he could have died approximately six times in the time it took them to get him here. They took the gurney out of the ambulance and she followed after him, keeping pace with the gurney right up until they took him to an emergency ward where she was stopped. Managing to keep her composure, she looked through the glass in the door and watched her father until they turned a corner and were out of sight.

Although she was angry at not being allowed to be with her father, she was just as relieved that he was still alive and with each passing second that he was the chance this was an attack by Kira decreased significantly. Her father surviving a heart attack in general was not something to celebrate, there could be something else seriously wrong with him, but at least her mother would not end up a widow.

“Light!” came a voice and she turned to see a whole crowd of people charging at her, the most prominent members being her mother, Sayu, and Ryuzaki or L she should now say. That was going to be something they discussed if she found the energy to care.

“Mom!” said Light, giving away more of her relief and fear than she had intended. Sachiko came up to her and embraced her tightly. “He’s alive.”

“Oh thank god,” said Sachiko, her voice broken as Light returned the favor and held her mother. “When Matsuda called . . . I thought that . . .”

Light’s hold on her mother tightened. “I know, I think we were all worried when he went down.”

“I’ve never seen the Chief look so bad,” said Matsuda, leaning against a wall with most of the Task Force close by. “I hope this wasn’t because of something serious.”

“That’s always a possibility,” said L, pressing his thumb lightly against his lower lip, his dark grey eyes directed at Light and her family. “Though I find it is more likely he is over stressed and that this was just how his body responded.”

As much as Light would like to, she could not disagree with him.

“Ryuzaki is probably right,” said Light calmly as she tactfully removed herself from her mother’s grip then embraced Sayu, whose tight squeeze took her breath away. “Sayu, loosen up I can’t breathe.” Her sister’s arms slacked a fraction. “Thank you. Anyway, Dad has been under more stress with this case than any other, or so it can be surmised. If this really is stress then perhaps he should have a couple of days off to recover.”

“You know your father would never agree to that,” said Sachiko gently as if her daughter had suggested something crazy. L probably detested that as much as Light did at the moment.

Light exhibited amazing patience as she searched for some polite terms to throw back at her mother’s condescending tone. “Yes, but he wouldn’t be of any use to the investigation if he was constantly in and out of the hospital with heart attacks.”

“Light’s right, Mom!” argued Sayu, her grip on her sister growing tighter. “Make Dad take some days off, or at least come home like a normal person. I don’t want him to be killed by Kira or stress.”

 _‘Well Sayu, it seems like you’re the only one who has my back,’_ thought Light fondly as she caressed her sister’s head, playfully tugging on her ponytail.

“Excuse me, are you all here for Soichiro Yagami?” asked a man dressed in blue scrubs and a white lab coat as he exited the door behind them.

“Yes,” said everyone.

The doctor nodded. “Well, he’s going to live. It would seem that stress was the cause of his heart attack and he should make a full recovery barring any unforeseen variables.” He then turned to the three women standing closely together. “You’re his family, yes?”

The three of them nodded.

“Good, he’s been asking for you,” said the doctor. “And for two young men. One named Matsuda and the other is Ryuzaki.”

 _‘What the hell, Dad?’_ thought Light as she looked at L who seemed just as clueless as the rest as to why Soichiro wanted to see him.

“You can see him in a few minutes, we’re just moving him to a new room,” said the doctor, pressing on. “You’re all free to wait in the waiting area until it’s time. The cafeteria is still open, I believe.”

“Light,” said Sachiko once the doctor was gone. “Why don’t you take your sister down to the cafeteria? She hasn’t had dinner yet.”

Neither Sayu nor Light seemed keen on that idea but they knew it was their mother’s way of distracting them until they could see their father. It was not like Light could not sit patiently for an extended period of time.

“Sure Mom,” said Light agreeably and she removed Sayu from being latched around her waist to being stuck at her side, her arm wrapped around her baby sister’s shoulders. “Come on, Sayu, they might have one of those ice cream machines.”

That seemed to cheer up Sayu a little bit and she grinned at her sister.

“I think I’ll come too,” said L and Light came to a screeching halt, looking at him incredulously over her shoulder. “I haven’t eaten yet and ice cream does sound good.”

“I didn’t say there was one there for sure,” protested Light though it only sounded as such to L. “How about we go down and check? Then when we come back up, we can tell you.”

L shook his head. “No, I can check for myself. If there isn’t ice cream, I could always check if there’s cake or something as sweet.”

Sayu looked at him strangely. “You must really like sweets, huh?”

“I don’t like them,” said L as they walked towards the elevator together. “I simply adore them.”

“You’re weird,” giggled Sayu and Light rolled her eyes. “Hey! Maybe you should go out with Light!”

 _‘So much for having my back,’_ thought Light with a weary glare to L. “Sayu, you’re starting to sound like Mom.”

“No I’m not,” argued Sayu as they entered the elevator. “She’s always trying to set you up with guys I know aren’t your type.”

“I didn’t realize I had a type,” said Light as she pressed the button for the cafeteria as indicated by the directory on the wall. “Can we have this conversation later?”

“Actually I’m quite curious why your sister thinks we should date,” said L and Light wanted to murder him for encouraging Sayu.

Sayu beamed smugly up at Light then looked at L. “Well, she likes smart guys. If she didn’t then she would’ve already been dating Amane for years.”

“I just prefer men with more than one brain cell,” said Light simply with a shrug, making her sister and L grin.

“And she likes someone with a sense of humor,” continued Sayu. “Or someone who understands hers. I haven’t figured that one out yet. But you seem like you could fill both qualities, Ryuzaki.”

L tried not to look proud at that assessment. “Well, Sayu, I thank you for the compliment. Now what about appearance, does Light have a particular preference?”

Light looked helplessly at her sister then at L. “Are you two really just going to carry on like I’m not even here?”

“Of course,” said L and Sayu.

“As for looks, I think so,” said Sayu with a wink to her sister. “She doesn’t seem to care for men like Amane or Hideki Ryuga, pretty boys do nothing for my sister except make her roll her eyes. You’re the tall, dark, and mysterious type Ryuzaki so I think Light finds you attractive—”

Light was quick to put a hand over her sister’s mouth, not trusting what else would come out of it if L continued to question her. Sayu struggled against Light’s hold but her older sister was not about to let up, there was no way she was going to allow her to try and set her up on a date with L. That one night mistake was more than enough for her.

Mercifully the elevator opened and the three of them stepped out, heading down the hall the arrows indicated for the cafeteria, Light’s hand no longer on Sayu’s mouth but she was quick to discourage conversation during the walk. When they arrived at the cafeteria, L immediately made a beeline for the dessert area while Light and Sayu went through the other areas, picking out some savory dishes before meeting up with L who by the time they arrived had two trays piled high with plates of sweets. Sayu looked stunned at the sheer amount of sugar on L’s trays.

“Are you really going to eat all of that?” asked Sayu as she selected a slice of strawberry cake and a cup of chocolate pudding.

L nodded as he counted what he had and scrutinized the remaining treats, seemingly unsatisfied. “I tend to eat mostly sweets and fruit, my brain requires ample amounts of sugar to maintain peak working conditions.”

Sayu seemed a little nauseated at the thought of eating nothing but sugar. “Aren’t you worried about getting fat?”

“No,” replied L as he compared two identical slices of cheesecake. “I find that if you use your brain regularly enough, you don’t gain any weight.”

“What about diabetes?” continued Sayu as she considered putting back one of her desserts. “I learned in school if you eat too many sweets, you could cause your body to develop diabetes.”

“I hadn’t really considered that,” said L with a shrug and Light had a feeling he was lying. “Light, why haven’t you picked out a dessert? You seem to use your brain enough that gaining weight shouldn’t be a concern.”

Light was not sure whether that was a compliment or an insult, regardless she was not happy. “I’m just not in the mood, that’s all.” She then picked up her tray and headed to the cashier, not even waiting to see if her sister was with her or not.

She paid for her and her sister’s food and headed for a table, finding one large enough that would accommodate L’s ridiculous number of sweets with spare room for her and Sayu’s food. Light took a bite of her teriyaki chicken and as she chewed she thought about what an insane day it had been, and that was not even counting her father’s heart attack. Still the craziest part of it was not finding out Ryuzaki was actually L; she should have seen that coming if she were being honest, actually the weirdest part of the day was how well her sister had hit it off with him.

 _‘I’m sure she would have loved to have him as a brother-in-law,’_ mused Light bitterly as she continued to eat. _‘Too bad he screwed up so royally that I won’t even go out with him.’_

Sayu and L came over to where she was sitting and she had to struggle not to laugh when she saw L carrying a tray in each hand and balancing one on his head. He seemed to be doing quite well until he bumped into the edge of the table and everything on his head almost came crashing down. Luckily, Light reached up in time to prevent it and moved the tray to the table.

“Thank you, Light,” said L graciously as he put the rest of his food down and sat in a chair. “Your timely intervention saved my snack.”

“Your snack?” asked the sisters, both in utter disbelief.

L seemed confused. “What? Is this a problem? There’s no need to speak in unison.”

“How can all of this be just a snack?” asked Sayu as she sat down across from him, her eyes going to each individual treat like it was something new and different.

“I require a great deal more sugar to function,” replied L as he dug into a strawberry parfait. “But please help yourselves to whatever you like, I would hate for all of this to possibly go to waste.”

They ate in silence, every so often either Light or Sayu would watch L as he selected a new treat after finishing one and appraise it like it was some sort of valuable jewel. Light, who did not particularly care for sweets most of the time, found the wanton display of sugar more than a little revolting, at least she did until he picked up a luscious looking piece of chocolate cake. It was three layers, smothered in chocolate frosting and decorated very pleasingly. When he picked it up it was hard for her to look away, slightly envious of his possession of such a delectable slice of cake.

L was no fool, he had seen the way the sisters were looking at him as he ate his sweets, and he could tell they were both curious and slightly disgusted but he did not really care what they thought of his eating habits. Actually he had done this deliberately, one tray would have been more than sufficient for him at the moment, yet he wanted to conduct an experiment and that required more sweets than was ordinarily necessary. It seemed that now he was about to get some results.

“Light, you’ve been staring at me for six and a half seconds longer than you did before,” said L calmly and he watched with some delight as Light’s expression changed from curious to indifferent. “Could it be that you desire me after all or that you want the piece of cake I have?”

To his immense satisfaction Light blushed just a little though her gaze still remained cold.

“I was looking at the cake,” she admitted and he had to resist smiling. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”

L shook his head. “You weren’t being rude, Light, if anything I was. I should have asked if you wanted it when I saw you looking at it initially. Please, take it.”

Light seemed to be having an internal battle at his offer, trying to decide how it would look if she accepted or refused the cake he was offering to her. Eventually it seemed her desire for cake won out and she took it from him, picking up a clean fork from the nearest tray and digging in with the smallest smile on her face.

Sayu leaned forward conspiratorially. “She’ll deny it, but Light’s really a sucker for chocolate. She loves chocolate cakes, puddings, bars you name it. Light just tries to hide it from outsiders because she’s afraid it wouldn’t look right for someone like her.”

“A true chocolate connoisseur should never hide her love for the confection,” chided L playfully. “She should embrace it fondly with open arms.”

“Well said, Ryuzaki,” laughed Sayu as Light glared at them both, the fork still in her mouth.

Light could see through his words as plainly as if they were made of glass, he was not really talking about chocolate or perhaps a part of him was, but the overall gist of it was she should welcome him back with open arms. _‘Sure, L, when hell freezes over,’_ she thought as she continued eating her piece of cake.


	7. Chapter 7

When they returned upstairs, they noticed that Sachiko and Matsuda were nowhere to be found. L looked at Light curiously for her reaction and what he saw for a split saw irritation and annoyance; she was obviously very displeased with her mother not calling for her and Sayu before going to see Soichiro. She was quick to hide it and simply looked disheartened. It scared L how quickly she could hide what she was actually feeling, but then again he could do the same thing and had for years. Perhaps it simply scared him because he found someone like him.

"Are Mom and Matsuda in the hospital room with Dad?" asked Light, looking at Aizawa who nodded.

Sayu looked up at her older sister, wrapping herself in her sister's arms. "Can we go in?"

Light shrugged. "I'm not sure. Mom might not want us back there right now."

"But I thought Dad wanted to see Ryuzaki," said Sayu thoughtfully as she glanced at L. "Mom wouldn't just ignore that."

"I know, but she might not want him stressed out again," said Light pointedly, glaring at L from the corner of her eye. She smiled a little when she saw him back down.

"Why would Ryuzaki stress him out more than Matsuda?" asked Sayu, seemingly persistent on this topic.

Light seemed to be sensing this and thinking quickly, she smiled sweetly at her sister. "You know what? I'm probably wrong and Mom's going to come back in a few minutes and tell us we can come in."

That did not seem to placate Sayu but she did accept the explanation and she and Light went to sit in the waiting area with Ukita and Aizawa. L watched them walk away and he felt a sense of loss and longing as he observed Light's gentle interactions with her sister. He had never had that, even from his caretakers, and he could not help but wish he could be on the receiving end of Light's affections. Even a pat on the back from her would be enough.

"Shoko," L said looking from Light to the agent, "I need to speak with you."

Naomi, whom was standing quietly by the waiting room, perked up and immediately headed over to him. When she was beside him, they walked over to an area where the others would not overhear them.

"What can I do to help, Ryuzaki?" she asked, smirking when she said his alias. They both knew where that name had come from.

L looked casually over at Light and Sayu, whom were simply sitting together, waiting for their mother to call them back to see their father. "With Mr. Asahi out of commission, we're going to need all of the help we can get. Light is our best hope at this point and I want you to be her mentor, I can tell already that she admires you and holds you in some esteem. Teach her whatever you can, and I will supply you with whatever you need."

Naomi nodded; she herself already liked the young girl and was more than happy to show her the ropes of being an agent. "I can do that, she seems like a quick study." She then looked pointedly at L. "What's your interest in her anyway? I've never seen you so keen on having someone work on a case before."

"Purely academic," replied L although he is sure she does not believe him. "Her name cropped up a few times when I was investigating other potential candidates for the Task Force and when I looked into her background, she seemed fairly well qualified."

As he suspected, the look Naomi gave him said she did not buy his story for a second, but the agent already knew better than to press him on the issue. He was at least grateful for some discretion.

"Alright," she said, adjusting the tie on her black leather jacket. "By the way, this whole case stinks of Beyond."

L's eyebrows would have shot into his hairline if he had allowed it; thankfully he was able to maintain his composure despite his shock. In all honestly, he should have expected her to already be thinking of him, after all Beyond had killed several people in a strange, almost ritualistic way similar to how Kira killed. The sheer ferocity of some of the killings, especially those that were in response to L's public provocation, was very reminiscent of Beyond. "I have already suspected as such," he muttered so only Naomi could hear him. "I have two associates looking into the possibility."

Naomi's eyes widened and her posture became stiffer. "If he's behind this, then Kira's far more dangerous than the world knows. Do you believe he's working with anyone else?"

L nodded. "Yes, I have a few potential suspects as to whom could be aiding him. Have you heard anything through your channels?"

"No," said Naomi, sounding a touch more melancholic than he had expected. "I've been out of the loop for too long."

"That's surprising," said L with a slight grin. "Who would have thought Misora Massacre would quit the FBI."

Naomi gave him a smile that did not quite meet her eyes. "I wasn't going to . . . until Raye proposed."

L could feel himself deflating, that name rang so many bells in his head he wondered if anyone else could hear them. Raye Penber, an FBI agent and one of the twelve sent to Japan under L's orders only to end up dead because of Kira. That would certainly explain Naomi's appearance here, she had probably gone to investigate her fiancé's death and during that time found Light.

"I don't blame you," she said, shaking him from his thoughts. "For what happened to Raye, I know it wasn't your fault. Kira's the one responsible for his death, Raye was just doing his job."

Her words were meant to reassure him but they only made him feel guiltier, it reminded him just how many lives were affected by his actions, his decisions. He had lived his life secluded away from the world, where he could safely work but this case had forced him out into the open, and now he could see the consequences. There was an upside. L was more determined than ever to bring Kira to justice.

"Excuse me, Ryuzaki," said Sayu, almost appearing out of nowhere.

L looked down at her and gave her the best smile he could. "What can I do for you, Miss Sayu?"

Sayu looked up at him through her eyelashes, her cheeks a tinge of pink; she looked distinctly like Light in that moment and L pocketed the look away for a later date, for an appropriate time when he could imagine Light looking at him that way. "A doctor said Light and I could go back, we were just wondering if you'd like to join us and see our dad?"

"I'll be right there," said L gently before turning back to Naomi. "If you'll excuse me."

"Of course," said Naomi, smiling at Sayu before heading back to the waiting area.

Sayu and L then walked over to the doors that led to the back area, Light is already standing there, her arms crossed and a crease in her brow. She looked like she was thinking about something, probably wondering how her father's heart attack was going to affect her joining the Task Force. Of course she would never say that out loud, it would sound ungrateful and arrogant, two things that Light did not want the world to believe about her. L could understand her frustration, she wanted the opportunity to demonstrate her prowess at solving mysteries and this had been it, with her father now out of commission that might be in jeopardy.

"Are you ready?" asked Light to no one in particular.

Sayu and L nodded, she gave a curt nod and then pressed the door open, gesturing for the two of them to go in. They did and then she followed them in, closing the door behind her. Light then led the way to Soichiro's room, likely knowing the way because of a conversation with a nurse or doctor, while L and Sayu trailed behind her. The three of them were silent as they walked down the hall. The silence was almost stifling. When they reached the door, it was already open and in it was Soichiro, Sachiko, and Matsuda.

"Girls!" said Sachiko cheerfully, a poor attempt at defusing the tension that was already brewing. "How was your dinner? Were you able to find something to eat?"

Sayu nodded, putting on a more genuine smile than her mother's. "Yeah, they had pretty decent ramen and really yummy cakes. Dad, you should order food from there if you can."

Soichiro smiled at his youngest. "I'll do that, thank you for the recommendation."

"How're you feeling, Dad?" asked Light, sincere concern lacing her words. "You don't look too bad."

The Chief nodded, although his smile faltered just slightly. "I feel fine, Light, thank you for asking. Sachiko, why don't you take Sayu down to the cafeteria and get yourself something to eat? Sayu, could you pick me out a treat and maybe something for Matsuda?"

Sachiko nodded and hurried over to her youngest daughter, taking her by the hand, she led her out of the room despite the younger girl's protests. Light made no move to stop them, knowing full well what her father had planned and it had to do with the case. The door clicked shut behind them.

"Ryuzaki, we never finished our discussion earlier," said Soichiro sternly, his eyes darting between L and Light. She had never seen him so exhausted and so determined.

L nodded, shifting uncomfortably on his feet and Light noticed that he was wearing that same pair of ratty sneakers from before.  _'Does he have any other shoes?'_  she wondered before squelching that thought almost immediately, who was she to care about his well being?

"I don't want Light working on the case," continued Soichiro, his voice carried a timber of command. "She's too young and too inexperienced, not to mention that now with her mother and I here at the hospital, she will have to be at home and take care of Sayu."

L ventured a glance at Light and was very grateful he had not spoken during that point, the look in her eyes was not one he wanted to directed at him, what impressed him was how calm her appearance was despite the rage he knew was bubbling beneath the surface.

"Dad, you've let me solve cases before," said Light calmly, although she was standing ramrod straight. "Why is this different? No one on the Task Force has died yet, the only casualty has been you and that was because of stress. With more people helping out then that would reduce the workload and therefore the stress, which would help you out in the long run. There, I just solved the problem currently plaguing the investigation."

Soichiro did not seem impressed with his daughter's attitude. "Light, the cases I let you work were not homicide, they were white collar or petty at best. This is something completely different and far more dangerous than anything even I have faced." He then looked at L. "Ryuzaki, what is your opinion? I know you wanted Light to work with us but now that the situation has changed, has your opinion?"

L suddenly felt like he had been put in a pot of water and given the match that would light the fire, he could either drop it in the pot and appease one party or light the logs and please another.

"Yeah Ryuzaki, what is your opinion?" asked Light, her rage almost tangible.

He took a deep breath; this was going to burn something. "Given the circumstances, I would have to say that Light is correct. The workload as it stands will now be distributed to the others and that would only add on to their current stress, likely resulting in more heart attacks such as the one you suffered. With the addition of Maki and Light, we would be able to work 45% more efficiently than we do currently and that would solve the case much more quickly."

Light and Soichiro were staring at him, both in disbelief but for completely different reasons, L felt like a gazelle spotted by two very hungry hyenas. He did notice that Light's expression towards him had softened just a fraction, maybe out of gratitude.

"Absolutely not!" roared Soichiro directing their attention back to him. "Light has other responsibilities to attend to, and none of them involve this case!"

That seemed to snap Light out of her act. "What responsibilities?! Studying? School? I already have a handle on those and I'm more than capable of balancing my time effectively, you know that already. And Mom isn't going to completely abandon the house to stay at your side at every waking hour, she will go home on occasion to at least check on it and Sayu can stay with a friend while Mom's here so she won't be alone. I want to help you and the Task Force, Dad, don't you understand that?"

"It isn't your place," snapped Soichiro, likely in an attempt to bring his daughter down a peg. "You are supposed to go to school and take care of your family, not assume my place."

"Isn't that exactly what I would be doing if I took care of our family?" countered Light, and L was impressed with the current volley. "Dad, you can trust me, I can do this!" Her eyes suddenly went dark and realization seemed to dawn on her face. "I shouldn't be surprised that you're so resistant." Her face contorted into something horrific. "You've never had any faith in me, you think everything I do is a coincidence, an accident of birth."

Soichiro backed down. "Light, be sensible. I simply believe that you should stay out of this case for your own safety, I can't risk your life."

"It wouldn't be you risking it," said Light calmer than she had been just seconds ago. "It's my life and I choose to spend it however I want, and I choose to assist Ryuzaki and the Task Force. If that costs me my life then it costs me my life, I'm not just going to stand by and watch while others do the work I can do." Her eyes shone with determination. "Do you plan on forbidding me?"

"If that's what it will take, then yes, I forbid you," said Soichiro, although with less conviction than he had spoken with just moments earlier.

Light seemed to have expected that answer. "Fine, then I guess this is good bye, Dad. I'll be out of your house by tomorrow morning. I hope you feel better."

All eyes were now on her as she turned around and opened the door, she left the room without so much as a passing glance at her father or L.

"Light!" shouted Soichiro but it was pointless, Light would not listen now, now she was on her own by her own admission. The Chief nearly leapt out of bed but Matsuda stopped him, practically holding him down onto the bed. "Matsuda, get off of me! I have to go speak with my daughter."

L decided it was time to intervene, if only to keep the peace. "Mr. Yagami, I don't believe that would have any effect on the current situation. Light seems fairly determined to prove you wrong and I doubt anything you say now will sway her from her chosen course of action."

Soichiro glared at the raven-haired detective. "You're the reason this happened! If you had just told her not to work the case, she wouldn't be running away!"

"Oh and you prefer her to do work without your men and I watching over her?" asked L rhetorically. "Light is very resolute in being part of this case, even if it is not through legitimate channels. At least this way she will be with us and not walking the streets asking pointed questions and putting herself in even greater danger." He let out a soft breath. "Mr. Yagami, you need to realize that Light is perfectly capable of making her own decisions and living with those consequences, she is not a child."

"I know that," admitted Soichiro quietly. "She is a very bright and promising young lady but she is also my daughter and I want to protect her." He looked at the detective imploringly. "Please, keep my daughter safe."

"I will," swore L, bowing slightly. "Now, I will go speak to Light and tell her that she is part of the case. I wish you a speedy recovery, Mr. Yagami."

L then left, wondering if he had just gone a step in the right direction or jumped back two steps.

When he reentered the lobby area of the ER, he saw Naomi and Light talking, more like conspiring considering how close they were and the way they were deliberately hiding their mouths by subtle means. Long hair seemed to have a purpose beyond appearance alone.

"Ryuzaki, we were just looking for you," said Naomi loudly once she spotted L standing by the doors. He supposed that was her way of telling him there had been some sort of development.

"What can I help with?" he asked loudly as he walked over to the two women. He noticed with some satisfaction that Light was not looking at him as coldly as before, perhaps the fire he lit had melted her icy heart?

"I just wanted to let you know that Light will be staying with me for the foreseeable future," replied Naomi, apparently speaking for both of them. "I have a room in a hotel not too far from where we're working and her school."

' _Well, I guess that settles that issue,'_  he thought. Although he had been looking forward to seeing how agreeable Light would have been to stay in one of the rooms he had reserved as his headquarters. "That's great news. Have you told your mother yet?"

Light shook her head. "No, I was going to wait until I was already at Maki's hotel." She looked down in her lap, likely in feigned shame. "I know she isn't going to be happy and will probably try to stop me, I've likely disappointed her by doing this but I'm not going to let that stop me. If she sees me at least being smart about my decision, then she really can't argue."

"I suppose you have a point," said L thoughtfully, although he was fairly certain that her father would tell her mother before the day was out. "Anyway, I wanted to tell you that you're officially a member of the Task Force. Please report to the office tomorrow after school and we'll get you set up with a few supplies and begin working."

She looked up at him and her eyes were sparkling, how he wanted them to always look like that whenever she looked at him, but he knew she was happier about being let on the case than being around him. "Thank you, Ryuzaki, I promise you won't regret this," she said happily.

L gave her a strained smile.  _'Oh, I may still regret this, but for completely different reasons.'_


	8. Chapter 8

Naomi's hotel room was clean and sparse, as Light expected it to be, in fact it looked as if it had not been slept in or visited in a number of days. If Naomi had been working on the case for as long as she said then Light would not be surprised if she had in fact been staying elsewhere; not to mention this was the last place she was with her fiancé, so she might have avoided it for that reason alone.

"It's not much, but I hope you'll be comfortable," said Naomi as she headed into the small kitchen area. "You can put your things in the closet and freshen up in the bathroom if you like, and I can call room service if you're still hungry."

Light smiled at Naomi as she headed for the closet she mentioned. "Thank you, but I'm fine for right now although some tea would be wonderful."

"That I can do," said Naomi and she reached for the kettle. "Do you have a preference?"

"Oolong if you have it," replied Light as she opened the closet. She was a little surprised to see men's clothes hanging up in there, although again she should have expected it, as Naomi had hardly had time to grieve her lost love before she threw herself into trying to solve his murder. Gently, she pushed the suits to the side and used what hangars she could find to hang up her a few of her clothes, the ones that needed to be hung anyway, then placed her other things on the bottom of the closet to be dealt with later. Normally she would organize her things and pick out what she was going to wear to school the next day but right now she was still reeling from what she had just done.

An hour ago, Naomi had taken her from the hospital back to her house, the ride over had been silent and a little tense not that Light had exactly tried to make it otherwise. She was surprised that she had even taken this step and made it this far already, it was almost a little nerve wracking. Still she persevered and went inside her family home and packed as much as she could in whatever luggage she could find, and then headed back out to Naomi's rental car. The drive to the hotel had been as quiet as the ride from the hospital and Light spent most of it just thinking. Her mother was going to call her soon, she likely already had, multiple times, and Sayu was going to text her once just saying that she loved her. Leaving Sayu behind was the most difficult part of all of this; she was Light's biggest source of support and most vocal cheerleader, without her, Light felt a little less brave. She was confident in her abilities and intelligence, that much she was certain of, what she was less certain of was being very convincing when she presented her findings. Already she had been doubted by one of the Task Force members and that was over just a theory; even with all of her presented conclusions based on actual evidence, she had not been taken seriously.

It seemed that Naomi now would be taking over Sayu's role of support, as she appeared to be the most in Light's corner other than Ryuzaki, or L, as she now knew. Light frowned sharply as his name crossed her mind, he was cropping up more and more unbidden than she was happy to admit. She had long suspected that he had lied to her, especially minutes after they had sex, but this was more than she had even thought possible. When he told her that he had to leave and then would not say why, she thought she had been used and was nothing more than a cheap easy lay to him. Now, she wondered what he could have possibly been doing there in the first place. A college party did not seem like his normal hangout, he seemed out of place even before she knew his identity, and his entire purpose seemed to have been to lure Mikami out into the open. Why? And why was Mikami there to begin with? He too seemed out of place at a college party. And why was she the one used as bait?

"Tea's ready," called Naomi, shaking Light from her thoughts. "How do you take it?"

"Straight," replied Light as she headed back to the little dining area. "What about you?"

Naomi smiled softly as she passed Light her cup of tea. "With milk and a tiny bit of sugar. Raye used to drink his that way and he introduced it to me."

Light nodded as she took a sip, the warm flavorful drink relaxing her tense mind and muscles. "Raye seemed to have a great deal of influence on you."

"In a sense," agreed Naomi as she headed for a nearby armchair. Light followed suit and sat down in the adjacent chair. "He was one of the first people I met when I moved to the United States and went out of his way to make me feel welcome." She chuckled for a moment. "I remember on my first day there was a little basket sitting on my desk of all these traditional Japanese sweets. I was touched and a little curious about whom had given it to me, so I asked around and I got the same answer from everyone I asked: Raye Penber. So, I sought him out and asked him why he gave me the basket. He played coy at first and denied it and denied it but after I told him everyone else had told me he sent it, he finally admitted the truth." Her voice cracked and Light looked at her with concern. Naomi saw this and smiled calmly. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Anyway, after he told me the truth, I asked him why he did it and he said, 'Everyone needs something from home in a strange new place.' I was grateful to be working with someone as caring and human as he was." She took a quick sip of her tea and stared out the window at the glowing city outside. "In our line of work, it's easy to become jaded and numb to the world, so Raye was a breath of fresh air."

Silence filled the minutes after Naomi finished speaking about Raye; it was not the typical uncomfortable silences that Light was used to after someone finished speaking about something personal. Rather this felt more natural and comforting, like the silence was their understanding of each other and was mutually agreed on rather than one of them speaking needlessly. It was almost friendly.

Finally, Light decided to break it. "Forgive me for asking, but why weren't you killed by Kira? You're an FBI agent whom was sent to Japan, like the other twelve that died."

Naomi let out a soft sigh and shook her head. "Actually, I haven't been an FBI agent for almost two months, I resigned after Raye and I were engaged. I came along with Raye because my family's still here in Japan and Raye wanted to get my parents' blessing. It was supposed to be a few days of work and a few days of visiting family . . . I haven't even seen my parents."

Light felt incredibly sorry for Naomi and just a little bit guilty for having asked that in the first place. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, don't be," said Naomi immediately waving her hand dismissively. "You have every right to ask, I know it looks a little suspicious." She placed her cup of tea down and sat back in her chair. "Have you called your mother yet to let her know you're doing alright?"

"No," replied Light, casting a sad glance at her cup. "I honestly wasn't going to call her, she would just cry and try to get me to come home. I'll probably text my sister and let her know I'm someplace safe and she'll tell our mom."

Naomi hummed thoughtfully as she stared out the window. "Your parents are very traditional, aren't they? They want you to be at home, raising a family and to leave the work to your husband right?"

Light's eyes widened and all she could do was nod. No one had ever pegged down her parents so quickly. She was very impressed.

"I thought so," said Naomi, her tone suggesting that she had hoped to be wrong. "And what about you? I know right now you want to be involved in the case but what about after? Do you want to be a housewife?"

"Oh God no," said Light with an enthusiastic headshake. "I plan on never marrying and working until I take over the NPA."

Naomi laughed, something that surprised Light and perhaps made her feel a little foolish for being so blunt.

"You have spunk, that's for sure," said Naomi at last, wiping a tear from her eye. "And tenacity in spades. You'd make an excellent asset to any police agency in the ICPO."

Light smiled shyly, she really had not expected someone to say that. "Thanks, I never really thought about that." She then took a sip of her tea and thought about what she had said. "Maybe I should just go after L's job instead."

"Maybe," said Naomi with the most lighthearted tone Light had heard from her since they met.

Yes, maybe she would try to go after L's position.

* * *

"We're going to investigate the FBI agents' murders," announced L the following afternoon once Light and Naomi arrived. He was siting in a crouched manner in one of two armchairs, a small coffee table in front of him with six manila folders resting in a line on top. Light spied the pseudonyms of the Task Force on the tabs of the folders.

"Why?" asked Matsuda, dark shadows glowing under his eyes. Light assumed he had spent a great deal of time awake last night, probably speaking with her father and mother. "We know they were murdered by Kira, so why go through this?"

The young man's eyes were on Naomi, an indication that he was concerned more for her than anything else. To her credit, Naomi seemed perfectly calm about the prospect of watching her fiancé die.

L seemed to understand the underlying concern. "We will each take two agents, I have already designated whom takes who. Light, since you are the odd number in the Task Force, you may choose with whom you work."

Light tried not to glower or smirk, while she detested the idea of being the odd man out, she delighted in the opportunity to shake up L's calm demeanor just a little. "If it's alright, I would like to work with you, Ryuzaki."

"That would be fine," replied L coolly, as if this was perfectly normal. "We will be investigating Raye Penber and one other agent. The rest of you, please find your assigned agents on the table in front of me then get to work. Watari has already prepared your stations with the applicable information. Light, you can sit here," he indicated the armchair beside his, "when you are ready, of course."

The others grabbed their folders and headed to their stations as Light sat beside L with little fuss or fanfare, she knew she would have to be careful in picking her battles, one false move and her time with the Task Force could be over with as suddenly as it began. Arguing with L over something as trivial as chivalry and armchairs was utterly pointless and would likely lead to a bigger argument and result in exposing their less than ideal history. No, if this was going to work, she and L would have to behave professionally and all arguments would be relegated to items concerning the Kira case.

"Have you read over Raye's investigation notes?" asked Light as she looked around for a folder like the others. It was then she noticed the laptop sitting on the table. "Is there something you need to show me?"

L nodded and opened the top, revealing a paused piece of security footage. Light had no idea what Raye Penber looked like, so she was unsure who she should be looking for on the screen. It was then that L slipped a picture in front of her, held up by just his thumb and index finger. Light's heart almost stopped when she saw Raye's picture, she was looking at the man who had been following Mikami! She tried to keep her expression neutral; there was no way she was going to betray any of her thoughts to L, not without knowing everything she could about the situation.  _'Maybe the man was simply following someone else and they happened to cross paths that day,'_  she thought, although even as the thought crossed her mind, she knew that was absurd. It would be an incredibly coincidence if it were true.

"We're going to watch this footage and keep an eye out for Raye Penber," explained L and Light knew that this was the only agent's death they would be looking at; the other was just a formality. She wanted to ask how he knew that Raye was the agent to look at but she decided against it, he likely took an interest in him because he had been following Mikami who was probably at the top of L's suspect list. The very idea revolted her.

Light nodded and L pressed play on his keyboard. The footage was a little grainy but better quality than some she had seen in the past, she kept her eyes trained for anyone matching Raye's description, then she saw him. He was wearing a long dark coat, carrying a brown briefcase. It looked like he was heading for a train and was rather in a hurry but stopped just before he could make it to the next train. Light leaned in closer and saw a man wearing jeans and a dark jacket step behind Raye, they stood still for two minutes, during which time a man stepped off the rails was hit by an incoming train. She nearly gagged. Raye and the other man then separate and Raye got on the next train that stopped, the other man did the same but into a different car.

L paused the footage. "What do you think, Light?"

"Whomever was speaking to Raye was likely Kira or at least an associate of his," she said calmly, it had been a little jarring to see that man step in front of the train.

"What makes you believe what we saw was Kira's work?" asked L, obviously curious.

Light sat up a little straighter; she was ready to defend her answer once she had spoken. "Again it comes down to the fact that this cannot be an extraordinary coincidence. Raye, an FBI agent investigating Kira suspects, just happens to witness a man jump in front of a train as another man speaks to him? No way." She then rewound the footage to just moments before the man who jumped came into view. "Look here, they're both looking in the direction the victim came from, no one else is even stopping." She fast-forwarded the footage and paused it. "And here, both Raye and the other man have their attention directly on the man even before he nears the track." She sat back in her chair, arms and legs crossed. "We know Kira can kill with means other than a heart attack, so what if he was able to influence this man right before death and have him walk from a certain direction at a certain time? A time when Raye would be in the vicinity."

She looked over at the detective, he was chewing on the pad of his thumb and she noted that as a tick for critical thinking.

"I believe you're right, Light," said L stoically. "That little display was likely a demonstration for Raye of Kira's power, so the man that spoke to him could prove that he was in fact dealing with the real Kira." He chewed on his thumb a little harder. "I don't like this. We're dealing with someone who thinks himself above the law and is willing to use people like expendable game pieces."

"That is concerning," agreed Light and L reached over to resume the footage.

They fast-forwarded through a good chunk of time, looking for any sign of Raye. Finally after almost an hour and a half, the train stopped and Raye came walking out of the car, he seemed lost in thought until the last second when he clutched at his chest. Light and L moved forward to get a better view. They watched as Raye went down to the ground, clutching his chest the entire time, it was curious to see him as he was on the ground, moving so he was facing the train. L stopped the footage.

"He was looking at someone on the train," said L sternly, turning his large, dark eyes to Light. "It has to be Kira, we never saw him get off of the train."

Light knew he was right, there was no doubt that the man they had seen earlier was the one Raye was looking at in the last moments before his death. Still, she could not help but needle the detective just a little, perhaps make him doubt himself for a moment. "Are you sure? He could have gotten off at the next station or slipped off of the train while we were focused on Raye."

"That's entirely possible," said L thoughtfully, then a very thin smile pulled at his lips. "But then, what became of the folder Raye was carrying when he stepped on the train?"

"Folder?" repeated Light, feeling stupid. She glanced back at the screen; Raye did not have a folder beside him when he died. She wondered how L had come to that conclusion.

As if reading her mind, L rewound the footage to right before Raye got on the train. Sure enough, tucked under his arm, was a folder. She wanted to kick him.

L was almost smiling triumphantly when she looked back at him. "If Raye left the folder on the train, which he received from our mystery man, then it stands to reason that our mystery man would go into that car to retrieve the folder; hence why Raye was looking in there, he wanted to see what would become of the folder and who would take it. Sadly for him, it was Kira."

Light desperately wanted to hit him, he was so smug about being right and pointing out the fact she had missed something that it drove her up the wall. She opened her mouth to say something when her phone went off, indicating a text message. Casually reaching into her pocket, she made a show of extracting her phone from her pocket, completely missing the irritated way L was looking at the device once it was in view. She opened it and faked a smile.

"Who's texting you?" L asked, his voice a little strained.

Light glanced over at him, ready for his inevitable reaction. "Mikami."


	9. Chapter 9

' _Calm yourself, Lawliet, don't let her see . . . whatever this is you're feeling,'_  L thought as he watched with rapt attention as Light exchanged text messages with his prime suspect. Not that she knew that. He wondered how she would react if he did tell her that he was preparing to arrest Mikami at first chance; although this little incident might provoke him to do it sooner rather than later, if just to stop him from communicating with Light. He really disliked this ugly feeling that was swelling up in his chest and he was sure it was connected to the fact Light was talking to another man.

"Light, please put your phone away," he said curtly, not about to give her a chance to argue. "We have work to do and I can't have you distracted."

He did not miss the way Light glared at him as she put her phone back in the back pocket of her jeans, and he tried not to stare at her jean clad legs for too long either. He tried as well not to think of the soft and smooth thighs that were hidden just under the rough fabric or of the way those thighs had felt against his cheeks or how those wonderful legs of hers had wrapped around his waist as he—that train of thought needed to stop. Now.

"Happy?" Light asked sourly.

"Not particularly," mumbled L as he adjusted his position to cover the biologic issue that had developed moments ago. "Now then, we were discussing the folder Raye Penber had before he died, could you please check the list of his personal affects to see if it was in fact found with his body?"

Light looked at him suspiciously but she did as he instructed and opened Raye's folder, the first thing on top was the list of personal affects found with the body. As he suspected, there was no folder found with Raye's body. "It's like you said, Ryuzaki, he probably left the folder on the train. It's too bad we don't know what was in it, we might get some clue as to how Kira operates."

L nodded, he had been thinking along that exact line. "Well, if it's in Kira's possession, we won't find it until we capture him."

"You seem very confident that you'll catch Kira," said Light as she put the folder down. "Why is that, Ryuzaki?"

"I've never been wrong before," replied L as he reached for a box of chocolates. "Every case I have worked, I have solved and my initial suspicions are usually proven right."

Light rolled her eyes as she leaned back in her chair. "If that's true then why haven't you arrested whoever you believe to be Kira already?"

"Well," said L as he opened the box and took in the delicious aroma of coffee chocolates, "I don't have any solid evidence against him yet and I would hate to deprive you of your new friend." He cast a glance in Light's direction to see how she would react, she seemed surprisingly calm but he knew better and looked in her eyes, there he found the shock he had been expecting. "I believe it would be in our best interest to focus on the people Raye Penber had been assigned to observe, would you not agree?"

"I agree," said Light tensely. "How do you plan on accomplishing this?"

"Wiretaps and video surveillance," replied L as he selected a treat from the box. He pressed a button on his keyboard. "Watari, prepare the wiretaps and cameras, I'll let you know when and where to deploy them in a few moments."

" _Very well, sir,"_  said Watari through the laptop.

Light looked from the laptop to L. "Who is Watari?"

"My most trusted associate," said L with little fanfare as he held out the box of chocolates to Light. "Would you like one? I would hate to be rude and not at least offer you one."

"Thank you," said Light politely as she took one, probably more to humor him so she did not appear impolite. She quickly ate the chocolate bon-bon in two bites and made quite the show of licking her thumb and index finger clean of nonexistent melted chocolate.

L watched her as she cleaned her fingers, it was maddening beyond belief that he could not reach out and touch her, even just a little bit. He craved her touch and affection like he never craved chocolate or tea; the closest he could compare this feeling to was when he first tried Kit-Kats and after some extensive research, he insisted on going to Japan that day to discover all other possible flavors. Right now, he wanted to do some extensive research on Light and discover all possible sides to the woman who has captured his attention and mind.

"Everyone," announced L, breaking the brewing tension he could feel developing between himself and Light, "we are going to focus our attention on only those Raye Penber was assigned to follow."

Aizawa let out a slight growl. "Why?"

"We believe that he encountered Kira shortly before his death," explained Light calmly as her eyes discreetly went to the box of chocolates still on L's possession. "And it is very likely that Kira is one of the people he was following."

"That makes sense," said Naomi, standing up from her station. "I thought the same thing after the bus jacking, the whole thing seemed too deliberate and was likely designed to put Kira in contact with Raye." Her dark blue eyes clouded over with tears. "Before he died, he mentioned that during the bus jacking, he had been put in a position where he had to show his badge, something he wasn't supposed to do under any circumstances."

L nodded. "Then it's settled. Light, please read aloud the people Raye Penber was following."

Light picked the file back up and flipped through some of the papers before she found the list it was incredibly short, only two people, and she already knew one of them. "Raye Penber was following Judge Kou Hatori and law student Teru Mikami."

"Judge Hatori?!" exclaimed Aizawa, jumping up from his seat. "Ryuzaki, we can't investigate him."

L seemed unperturbed. "And why not?"

"He could destroy all of us!" said Aizawa sternly. "He is the most revered and influential member of the justice system in this country."

"Which is exactly why he was on my list of suspects," said L as he placed the chocolate box on the table in front of him, moving it slightly to Light's half. "In the past, he has expressed disdain for the way criminals are punished, preferring harsher sentences for things such as armed robbery and assault. Coupled with his vast power, it stands to reason that he could be Kira."

Aizawa frowned sharply. "If he finds out about it, even the hint of a rumor, he'll come down on the NPA hard and we'll all be left without jobs."

"And if he is Kira, that won't matter," said Ukita softly. "He'll just kill us."

"What made you suspicious of that law student?" asked Mogi, one of the few sensible individuals in this investigation. "I understand Judge Hatori but a law student doesn't have much influence on the legal system."

"True but he has expressed a strict code of justice," explained L as he watched Light eye the chocolate again. "He has gone on multiple television shows since Kira's appearance and made statements in favor of accepting Kira's brand of justice. He has also taken to many internet forums dedicated to Kira and offered several individuals to be "judged" by his false god."

"So how do you propose we investigate them?" asks Naomi curiously, her eyes sparking with a fire he had not seen since meeting her again. It was the same fire he had seen when they were about to solve the BB murders.

"Wiretaps and surveillance cameras in their houses," replied L as he reached for a fruit tart on the table beside him. "If that yields nothing, then we'll have to do something similar to what the FBI did and gather information that way."

Aizawa ran a hand over his head, although given how his hair was almost an Afro his hand could not reach his head. "With all due respect, Ryuzaki, why would we do exactly what got those FBI agents killed in the first place?"

"Because Kira wouldn't expect it," said Light suddenly. "Kira probably believes he's safe from being followed because of what he did to the agents, after all who would be stupid enough to put themselves in that much danger knowing the outcome? No, Ryuzaki's right, if it comes down to it then it's our only option."

' _Did she just agree with me?'_  thought L as he looked at her curiously.

Light's eyes widened considerably.  _'I just agreed with him!'_

"Are we really willing to risk our lives for this?" asked Aizawa to the group of investigators. "We're already risking our jobs, and there won't be much to salvage if Judge Hatori finds out we're investigating him."

"If you want to leave, then leave," said Light, standing up to face him. "No one's keeping you here, Aizawa, we're all here simply because we want to stop Kira not because someone told us to stay." She held herself a little taller. "I don't have a job on the line like you do, but I'm willing to sacrifice my life, my future, everything if it means bringing down Kira. The choice is yours."

Silence filled the room and all eyes were on Light and Aizawa, waiting for something to happen. Aizawa looked away from her.

"Mogi, Ukita, Matsuda, if you want to keep investigating with Ryuzaki you can," said Aizawa stiffly. "I on the other hand am returning to the NPA full-time, I'm not interested in risking the wrath of someone who could take the NPA brick by brick and then throwing all of us in prison for civil rights violations." He began walking for the door. "Give my regards to the Chief, he can demote me when he gets better."

Aizawa then exited the room, leaving behind his stunned colleagues, a disappointed Light, an outraged Naomi and a stoic L. No one seemed sure how to react, no one that is, except for Matsuda.

"Why is he so scared of Hatori?" raged Matsuda. "He can't destroy the NPA, he might be able to arrest us but one man can't bring down something so essential to the wellbeing of the country."

"I believe there's a bigger issue here," said L thoughtfully as Light sat down and took one of the chocolates. "Aizawa has been a bit . . . reluctant recently when it comes to Kira and this investigation. He was ready to capture him when more of the police were backing the investigation but now that that's the unpopular opinion, he started to waver. It was Chief Yagami's presence here that kept him here as well and without the Chief to assure him what we are doing is right, he has decided to step back in line with the police."

"Typical," spat Naomi venomously. "People are only willing to do anything against evil so long as others believe it's the right path, the moment there are doubts or there are actual risks to getting the reward, no one wants to get their hands dirty anymore. We're better off without him."

Matsuda looked like a kicked puppy. "I think he's just scared of losing his job, he needs I to provide for his family; he has two young kids at home."

"Then that should be even more of a reason to stop Kira," argued Naomi fiercely. "I'm not even an agent anymore, so the only thing I can risk is my life."

"But you've lost so much already, you can only stand to gain," said Matsuda firmly. "Aizawa and the rest of us haven't lost anything, so our dedication to the investigation hinges on our personal morals and sense of justice. If Aizawa believes that going after Judge Hatori goes against his principles, then he has every right to make the decision to leave even if to me it's the wrong decision."

"This arguing needs to stop," said L, glancing at Light as she reached for her third piece of chocolate. "Now that we're down another member, a likely permanent arrangement, we need to double our efforts to stop Kira. Light, your position here will likely become permanent now, are you alright with that?"

"That's fine," said Light before popping the piece into her mouth.

"Good," said L with a nod and he tapped the button from before. "Watari, I need you and W to install surveillance cameras and wiretaps in the houses and cars of Judge Kou Hatori and Teru Mikami. Also, is there any news on the home front?"

" _Yes, they would like to speak with you when it is convenient,"_  replied Watari.  _"Is there anything else you need?"_

"No, that's all," said L and he let up on the button before quickly pressing another. "Near, Mello, this is L. Are you ready to report?"

The laptop screen went black before being replaced with two separate screens, one screen had an 'M' in the center and the other had an 'N', both in Old English MT font.

" _This is Mello,"_  said the M side.

" _This is Near,"_  said the N side.

"Good, I'm glad you're both here," said L, leaning slightly forward. "What have you discovered?"

There was silence from both Mello and Near, neither seemingly wanting to debrief L on the current situation.

L ground his teeth in agitation. "Tell me now or I'll find out for myself."

" _He's escaped,"_  said Mello softly.  _"We went through everything you asked and more, and discovered the prison had reported him dead during the first wave of heart attacks."_

"Do they know how he escaped?" asked L coolly, trying to keep calm when in fact his heart was pounding and a cold sweat had broken out on his brow. "Did anyone visit him during his incarceration?"

This time Near spoke up,  _"There was someone who visited him every three months or so, but the name doesn't match any known aliases of his former associates and we've done a background check, this person doesn't exist on any database. Whoever it is, knew how to cover their tracks. Not even Matt could find a trace of anything useful."_

"How did he escape?" L repeated, sounding on the verge of shouting.

" _In a body bag, apparently,"_  replied Mello with a slight sneer.  _"We don't know the details, L; the only reason the prison even knew they fucked up was because he murdered the coroner. There's video of that and it's not a pretty sight."_

L closed his eyes and tried to breathe properly, all he could hear was his heart hammering in his chest and all he could feel was his body trembling with rage and fear. "I see, is there anything else?"

" _Nothing yet,"_  said Near, his soft voice carried the bitter tone of disappointment.  _"We're going to look through more security footage, Matt is developing a program to look for his facial features and body type specifically. We'll let you know if we have any success."_

"Thank you," said L tightly. "I want you to evacuate Whammy's, effective immediately. I want to you three to go to one of the safe houses and send the other children to the houses you didn't pick. If he's on the loose then none of us are safe, especially me."

" _Why?"_  asked Mello, a note of panic in his voice.

"Because he knows my real name and what I look like," replied L flatly, and even in that tone it sounded like he had just revealed some deadly plot to destroy the world. "I believe he is working with Kira and if he is, then my days are truly numbered. I need to ensure that the three of you are safe as well as the rest of the children before I can fully proceed against him. Make sure you burn everything that might reveal anyone's names and faces, that's all Kira needs in order to kill."

Silence again rang out.

" _Yes, L,"_  said Near at last.

" _Sure thing,"_  said Mello, sounding brave but it masked his fear.

The tension in L's shoulders eased just slightly. "I'll let Watari and Roger know what measures we're taking. Contact me the moment you are somewhere safe."

" _We will,"_  said Near and his side of the screen went dark.

"Mello, is there something you wish to add?" asked L when he noticed his remaining heir on the line.

" _Sort of, it's more of a question actually,"_  said Mello, sounding unsure.  _"What's the likelihood that he already knows about us? And what are the chances he's going to kill you soon?"_

L brought his thumb to his mouth and chewed it for a few moments. "There is a fifteen percent chance that he knows about you and Near specifically; he probably already figured I would choose more successors after what happened to him and A, but he doesn't know you two were the ones selected. As for your latter question, there is an eighty-nine percent chance that he'll kill me, which is why I'm trying to ensure your safety. Mello, you have to listen to me and do as I say, until I die I am still L and you must obey my commands."

" _I know,"_  said Mello bitterly.  _"Near and I don't want to lose you, L. We're not ready to take over yet."_

"I know," said L calmly. "I'm sorry to put this on you so suddenly, but it's necessary. If this weren't, I wouldn't ask. Now please, go and assist Near. I'll speak to you both soon."

" _Yes, L,"_  said Mello and moments later, his screen went black.

L sat back in his seat and was suddenly aware of eyes on him, he turned and saw Light, Naomi, and the remaining members of the Task Force looking at him with looks of concern and curiosity; surprisingly, Light's was a fair balance of the two. "Is there something you need?" he asked the room.

"What was that all about?" asked Light, her voice much more gentle than he was used to, especially of late.

"Oh, just saving my legacy," replied L with a slight shrug and he looked at Naomi. "Maki, it's a good thing we involved you in this case after all, you're in just as much danger as I am currently."

If Naomi was afraid, she did an excellent job at masking it. "And why is that, Ryuzaki?"

L fixed her with a look she would never forget, not even when she was on her deathbed, it was one of fear, anger, and righteous justice. "Beyond Birthday has escaped prison and is likely Kira."


	10. Chapter 10

" _Are you coming to the hospital today?"_  asked Sayu, sounding hopeful.  _"Mom and Dad really want to see you."_

"Sorry, Sayu, but I'm a little too busy," replied Light, trying to sound remorseful when in reality she was fine with not visiting their father today. She had not spoken to him or their mother since she moved out a few days ago and she planned on keeping it that way for as long as possible. Light was enjoying living with Naomi, it was nice to finally feel like she was making her own decisions and that she was her own person. "How's school going?"

" _Fine,"_  sighed Sayu, Light could tell she was upset she had not convinced her sister to see their parents.  _"I'm not a fan of trigonometry, not at all. I would be very happy to skip it altogether and go straight to algebra."_

Light snickered. "What makes you think algebra would be easier?"

" _Because it wouldn't be trig!"_  explained Sayu, slightly exasperated.  _"Seriously Light, how were you able to get through all of this stuff with your sanity? I mean, you're almost eighteen and haven't done anything crazy. I'm about ready to run naked down the street if I have to take another trig test."_

"I'm not immune to doing something crazy, Sayu," said Light a little more firmly than she intended. "Even someone you believe is perfect can do something stupid and regrettable; they're still a good person."

" _I know,"_  said Sayu, seemingly reading between the lines.  _"Light, what did you do?"_

Light looked around, making sure that Naomi was still in the shower before she felt confident enough to answer. "I went to a party and slept with some guy I knew less than an hour."

Sayu squealed loudly, this was not the reaction Light had been expecting.  _"Light! That's so cool! Just like a movie. Are you still seeing him or did you throw him over when you saw Ryuzaki?"_

"No I didn't," snapped Light. "And the guy was Ryuzaki, for some reason he happened to be at the same party and . . . well, I got carried away."

" _Oh my god, Light!"_  shouted Sayu and Light quickly hushed her, afraid their mother might overhear.  _"That's completely crazy! This really is like a movie. You and Ryuzaki are totally meant for each other."_

Light blushed but she wrested control of her mouth away from her heart and back to her mind. "Sayu, nothing I said or did indicates that Ryuzaki and I are anything more than a bad decision."

" _Not true,"_  insisted Sayu sternly.  _"You two met by chance at the same party, shared a beautiful moment together then parted ways only to be reunited later under different circumstances. It has the makings of a soul mate troupe in a movie."_

"Thanks for reducing my life to a Hideki Ryuga movie," huffed Light as she cradled her cellphone closer. "Hey Sayu, have you ever been lied to by someone important?"

" _Like Mom and Dad and Santa Claus?"_  she asked, eliciting a giggle from her sister.  _"Or do you mean lied to by a friend or boyfriend?"_

"The latter," replied Light softly, trying to keep her voice low. "Ryuzaki may or may not have lied about his reasons for being at the party and for leaving me that night and . . . and now I know the truth and it turns out he had a good reason to lie. What do you do in that situation?"

While Light was the academic one and knew more in her short seventeen years than most did after years in school, Sayu knew more about people and emotions and could give better advice than most mothers or so-called experts. Sayu was the one almost every kid in her school went to if they had some kind of problem, and in Light's opinion she would make an excellent psychiatrist.

" _Well, he lied so that's bad but now you know the reason, so you understand the lie, right?"_  asked Sayu sounding like the professional Light hoped she grew into.  _"Ryuzaki doesn't strike me as someone who would lie without some good intention behind it, he's too sweet and way too innocent. He does seem emotionally and socially stunted, however, like he lived all his life in a room with little human interaction. So what he thinks is acceptable behavior, like lying, is interpreted by you and me as something bad but he doesn't see it."_

' _Damn, she's really good,'_  thought Light, as that seemed to be the case with L. He did not read social cues well and seemed to think his behavior and quirks were perfectly normal. "How do you figure that?"

" _The way he acted when we were at the hospital,"_  replied Sayu.  _"He seemed so lost and out of place, like you took a fish from a small fishbowl and put it in an aquarium; not to mention he didn't pick up on the cue that you didn't want him to go with us and he said that thing about your weight, any other guy wouldn't have said something that sounded so backhanded."_

"Well, it's certainly interesting you picked up on all of that," said Light with admiration in her voice. "What do you think I should do? Finding out he lied to me really hurt, even if he was justified. I feel like I couldn't trust another thing he says."

" _That depends on whether or not you want something with him,"_  said Sayu simply.  _"From the way you acted, I would say you don't want to be with him but what you're saying now tells me you might have some lingering feelings for him. Based on that, I would say just stick with what you're doing now and don't bite his head off. If anything, he could be a good friend."_

"I suppose that's true," sighed Light, ashamed that she had broken down and said what she had to Sayu.

" _Light, I have to go,"_  said Sayu quietly.  _"We're headed to dinner then the hospital for a few hours, so we can't text. I love you."_

"I love you, too," said Light lovingly and her sister hung up her phone.

Light hung hers up and then laid back on the bed, her mind spinning and heart pounding. No matter what she did to keep L out of her heart and mind, he seemed to stubbornly occupy both and it was driving her crazy. She would never admit it, especially to him, but since he announced that he thought he might die soon he had increasingly subjugated her thoughts. Everything she thought about, even if it was about breakfast, seemed to lead straight back to him and it was infuriating. Talking to her sister was supposed to allow her some clarity and insight but now she was faced with the possibility she had been denying since she saw L after their tryst.

"Was that your sister?" asked Naomi as she exited the bathroom wearing a pair of dark jeans and a red turtle neck sweater.

"Yeah, she wanted me to go to the hospital tonight and see my parents," replied Light as she sat up and stretched, hoping that it looked like she had been lying on the bed during her phone call instead of simply sitting on it. "I'm not ready yet."

Naomi nodded. "I understand, but don't wait too much longer, your father will be back with the Task Force in no time and then you'll have to deal with the fallout whether you want to or not."

Light nodded as she stood up. "I know, I'll probably go see him later next week, after he's released and under a little less stress."

"Good girl," said Naomi fondly. "Are you ready to go? Ryuzaki is expecting us."

"Right," said Light as she pulled on her sweater. "This is so much more fun than cram school."

Naomi chuckled. "From what I've seen, Light, you don't need to go. I think you just go out of obligation rather than necessity."

Light shrugged. "Could be or maybe I'm just that good at making people believe I'm smart when in reality, I shouldn't be graduating."

"I highly doubt that," said Naomi as they headed for the door.

"Why is that?" asked Light inquiringly.

Naomi smiled. "Because if you could convince the country of Japan that you were the brightest student when you actually weren't, then we should all fear you as you would truly be the most dangerous person on the planet."

* * *

The drive to L's new hotel was as quiet as it normally was, a companionable silence that Light enjoyed immensely; while she had had friends most of her life, they rarely ever stopped talking and if they did, someone always felt compelled to speak about something in order to break the silence. With Naomi, conversation was encouraged, as was silence. They could speak, be silent and speak again without feeling like it was disturbing anything. Light appreciated this, and did not feel bad when she decided to broach a question that had been burning in her mind for a few days now,

"Who's Beyond Birthday?"

Naomi's hands tightened on the steering wheel but other than that, she seemed perfectly calm. "A murderer," she replied, her voice as tight as her grip, "and a stunning manipulator. I had never come across someone like him before I moved to Los Angeles and I had hoped to never again."

"What did he do?" asked Light, her interest piqued rather than sated.

"Do you remember when I told you I solved the biggest massacre before Kira by myself?" she asked and Light nodded. "Well, that case is known as the Los Angeles BB Murders; the culprit was the man Ryuzaki mentioned, Beyond Birthday. He brutally murdered three people before trying to kill himself, which would have rendered the case unsolvable. Thanks to my quick timing, that outcome was averted. He was supposed to imprisoned in San Quentin but it would seem that's no longer the case."

Light nodded, slightly in awe of Naomi. "So how was he a 'stunning manipulator' as you so eloquently put it?"

Naomi smirked. "Well, he impersonated L so well that when I met the real one, I roundhouse kicked him down a flight of stairs."

Light let out a loud laugh, the image of L being kicked and tumbling down stairs was incredibly amusing to her and she is just the slightest bit sorry that someone beat her to it. "Wow, and he still wants to work with you? I'm shocked."

"Well, you slept with him and he still wants to work with you," said Naomi slightly and she grinned inwardly when she saw the stunned expression on Light's face. "I promise I won't mention it to him, so long as you don't bring up what I just told you."

Slowly Light nodded, too surprised to speak properly. In hindsight she should have expected Naomi to figure it out sooner or later, she was after all, a brilliant investigator. Still, she wished it could have stayed a secret for a little bit longer.

"So what happened between you two?" asked Naomi, glancing at Light who was now staring straight out of the windshield.

"I don't know," replied Light, as she frankly did not know what had happened but she wanted to get to the bottom of it before this Beyond Birthday decided to kill L.

When they arrived at the new hotel, one located slightly closer to where she and Naomi were staying, they were hardly surprised to see L and Matsuda already hard at work. Mogi and Ukita were conspicuously absent, but it seemed these days that at least two of the investigating detectives were gone. L was hunched over in an armchair, his eyes glued to the screen in front of him, save for the few moments he looked over to acknowledge Light and Naomi's presence. Matsuda was furiously typing away on his laptop, whispering the words to himself as he typed. Naomi and Light hung up their coats and headed to their respective workstations, Naomi beside Matsuda and Light beside L. There was a small box of chocolates sitting in front of Light's chair, right beside a large box of chocolate covered cherries in front of L.

"Good evening," said Light as she sat down, deliberately making sure her hand briefly touched his, and her eyes settled on the box of candy. It was dark chocolate, same as before, but this time it lacked the same espresso aroma; instead they smelled like liqueur. "Are these for me?"

L looked over at her and nodded. "Yes, I hope you don't mind, I wasn't sure if you had eaten."

He had said that every time since that day they shared had shared the espresso chocolates; and each day since, there had been a new box of dark chocolates filled with something different. So far she had not disliked any of them, not that she would give him the satisfaction. It was part of the game really, and she was curious to see how long he planned on keeping this up.

"Have you found anything out on Mikami?" asked Light, looking at the screen to see her college mentor sitting at his dorm room desk typing.

"Nothing of significance," replied L as he reached for a cherry. "He's very mundane, and incredibly predictable. I could look away for three hours and know exactly what he is doing and where he is."

Light fought against grinning, when he wanted to be, L could be rather amusing. "Doesn't that make it easier to spot when he does something suspicious?"

"In theory," replied L with a slight shrug. "The same could be said if he was ritualistically unpredictable, either way his criminal activities would stand out." His dark eyes then gained a slight sparkle to them. "Light, perhaps we should make this more entertaining."

"What do you suggest?" asked Light, now incredibly curious.

"Call Mikami and strike up a conversation about Kira," said L, a note of amusement in his voice. "I want to see how he reacts to stimuli."

Light was also curious to see how Mikami would react, she recalled their previous discussions regarding Kira and justice and he had been rather passionate about both; even though she would never admit it, she wanted L's opinion on his behavior. She pulled out her phone and searched for Mikami's contact information, glancing to L for permission, he nodded and she pressed the call button. She watched the camera feed as Mikami's phone lit up beside him, he looked over and stopped typing before picking up the phone.

" _Mikami,"_  he said and Light prayed that he did not hear the echo of his voice from the television in front of her. L seemed to sense her distress and turned down the volume.

"Hi, it's Light," she said, maintaining her calm. "I haven't heard from you lately, how are you doing?"

" _I'm well, thank you for asking,"_  said Mikami, sounding pleased.  _"How are you doing, Light? How are your studies going? I heard what happened to your father, my condolences."_

"Thank you," said Light, looking to L who nodded, indicating that it was fine that he knew about her father; almost everyone she spoke to these days seemed to know. "My studies are going well, if lacking a little, I would much rather be getting practical experience."

Mikami chuckled.  _"I felt the same way when I was in high school, you can only learn so much from books before you realize that you need to supplement with field knowledge."_  He shifted in his chair.  _"I imagine that the only real field work you could be a part of would involve trying to catch Kira."_

Light's heart began pounding, he was freely speaking about Kira, she did not even have to try and steer the conversation that way. "Yeah, you're probably right. Although I'm not sure I would want to be apart of that investigation."

Mikami sat up straighter.  _"Do you think it would be too dangerous?"_

"Well, not really, I'm prepared to give my life for justice," replied Light and she watched as L's attention shifted from Mikami to her. "What I meant is, I don't think it's right to go after Kira, not the way the police want to. Yes, he is a murderer, but his intentions seem good. Crime rates have dropped dramatically and the world seems calmer."

They both watched as Mikami swung around in his chair, his expression one of surprise and to their surprise, relief.  _"Light, he has killed innocents, you know that don't you?"_

Light looked to L who slipped a note in front of her eyes. "If you're referring to those thirty-six individuals at the start of the investigation, I happen to know that they weren't innocents." This was an out and out lie, all of those people were innocent but she could not let Mikami know that she knew that. "My father told me himself, they all had minor rap sheets, even the ones that were not from Japan. That demonstration was simply to show L that Kira was not to be trifled with."

She had read the note word for word, admittedly she was impressed that L could come up with something like that so quickly and as she glanced at Mikami, she could tell that his words had the desired effect.

" _So you're a supporter of Kira?"_  asked Mikami, sounding breathless.

"Absolutely," replied Light and L gave her a thumb's up. "I think the police and Kira need to work together, not against each other. Imagine what the world would be like if they did cooperate. We would essentially have peace."

Mikami rose to his feet and seemed ecstatic.  _"You do understand. Oh Light, I knew if anyone would, it would be you. Listen to me; I need you to watch Sakura TV tonight at exactly six o'clock."_

Light glanced at the clock on the wall, it read half an hour to six. "Alright, what's the special about?"

" _Kira,"_  replied Mikami.  _"I'm not sure about what exactly, but Kira's supposed to speak tonight."_

She saw L's shoulders straighten and he seemed to sit up a bit more. "Okay, I will. Anyway, I should go; I have some studying to do before the show. Good night."

" _Sounds good, good night,"_  said Mikami and they simultaneously hung up their phones. Mikami remained standing for a few moments, running his hand through his long black hair and he seemed incredibly pleased. He then looked down at his phone and shot off a quick text message before sitting back down to resume typing.

L pressed a button on his keyboard again. "Watari, see if we can pull Mikami's phone records, I want to know who he texted and what it contained."

" _Very well,"_  said Watari.

L released his hold on the button and then looked back to Light. "Well done, I believe we have Mikami convinced that you're a staunch supporter of his god." He smirked as he reached for another cherry. "If I didn't know better, I would have thought you were."

Light scowled at him as she reached for a chocolate of her own. "Please Ryuzaki, have a little more faith in me, I'm not about to support a mass murderer who thinks nothing of the lives he takes. He killed those thirty-six people and the twelve FBI agents the same way most people would kill a bug; without a second thought. I could never be in favor of someone like that."

"What if Kira had kept to only killing criminals?" asked L, putting his thumb against his lips.

"I'm not sure," replied Light honestly as she popped the chocolate in her mouth. She had been right, it was liqueur flavored and it tasted heavenly.

L nodded absently. "Well, at least you were honest. Tell me, what if you were faced with a monster?"

Light cocked her eyebrow.

"Not a child's monster," amended L quickly. "I don't me a ten foot tall, green and scaly monster that lurks in a closet, I mean a true monster."

"What constitutes a true monster?" asked Light once she was finally done with the chocolate.

L turned away from her, his thumb still pressed against his lower lip. "There are many types of monsters: Monsters who cause trouble without showing themselves, monsters who abduct children, monsters who devour dreams, monsters who suck blood . . . and then, there are monsters who tell nothing but lies. Lying monsters are a real nuisance: They are much more cunning than others. They pose as humans even though they have no understanding of the human heart; they eat even though they've never experienced hunger; they study even though they have no interest in academics; they seek friendship even though they do not know how to love."

Light leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees, her hair falling slightly in her face. "If I faced such a creature, I don't think I would run away. I'd like to believe that I would stand my ground."

This seemed to have some effect on L, whose shoulders relaxed just a fraction but he still did not look at her. "You're very brave, Light," he said quietly. "Not many would want to stand in front of that monster, they might see something they don't want to."

She opened her mouth to speak but no words came forth, for once she had nothing to add, he had ended the conversation nicely and very accurately. There was nothing she could say that would not sound redundant.

* * *

They continued to watch Mikami for the remaining twenty minutes before the Sakura TV special, neither one of them filled the silence between them with any conversation. There was nothing to say at the moment, nothing that could not be said later, however. Light found it strange, she wanted to remain hostile and cold towards L, but she could not find it in her to maintain her icy front. It seemed rather pointless now. Especially after all he had done for her and how upfront he was being regarding his thoughts and the investigation. She wanted to believe that she could forgive him and move on from her anger, and she knew that she could, but not before she extracted every answer from him that she needed.

Right before the six o'clock hour, an older gentleman in a well-tailored black suit came in with a cart full of covered trays; he put the cart behind where L and Light were sitting before he reached down and turned on the television across from them, immediately putting it on Sakura TV. He then began to hand out the trays to the investigators. When he handed one to Light, he smiled politely to her and bowed a little after she accepted the tray.

"Thank you, Watari," she said and almost laughed when L nearly dropped his cherry on the floor. He looked at her incredulously and she simply shrugged. "I knew everyone here except him, and since this is the only person I have not seen, I deduced that he is Watari."

"A sharp mind and a sharp tongue," said Watari fondly as he handed L a tray. "I can see why Ryuzaki respects you a great deal, Miss Asahi."

This time, Light laughed when L, incredibly flustered and clearly embarrassed, dropped his tray on the table with a very loud bang. She did feel a little bad for laughing when she realized that he had dropped them on his box of candy; his expression when he picked up his tray and saw all of the smashed chocolates was akin to a person a close friend's deathbed. With a slight sigh, she pushed her box closer to him, completely missing his shocked expression and gentle smile. She removed the cover from the tray on the table in front of her and was stunned to see a bowl of Fettuccini Alfredo with chicken with three small baguettes sitting on another plate. There was a small wine glass turned upside down on the tray as well.

"I wasn't sure if you would want wine or not," said Watari as he cleaned the bottom of L's tray. "I have a pinot grigio that would pair excellently with your dish, Miss Asahi."

Light was tempted, it was not as if she had not had wine with dinner, but she did not want to be compromised right before this supposedly important Kira special. She wanted to have her wits about her and wine would only dampen them.

"You should have at least a glass," said L as he picked up one of her chocolates. "It'll help you relax and you might be able to stomach the horrible special we're about to subject ourselves to."

"Alright then," said Light a little warily as she turned her wine glass right side up and Watari was there immediately with the bottle, pouring enough that would enable her to enjoy the wine with her meal but not enough to leave her inebriated. Light was a little curious as to why Watari had decided to show himself now, when over the last few days there had simply been carts full of fresh food all over the hotel room. Something was fishy and it probably had to do with L and the chocolates.

Once everyone was served, Watari retired to an armchair not too far away from where L and Light were sitting, he pulled out a pipe and lit it before sitting it at the corner of his mouth. Light thought he looked like a grandfather, a wealthy grandfather, but one nonetheless; his well-kept mustache and wireframe glasses were what tied the whole image together. She saw L remove the cover from his tray and was hardly surprised to see four varieties of cake. He immediately selected the plate with a big slice of strawberry cake and picked a fork using his thumb and index finger. Light's eyes again lingered on the rich, aromatic slice of chocolate cake but she forced herself to look away. If she kept looking, then L might start giving her slices of cake instead of boxes of chocolates.

_"We are less than a minute away from our Kira special!"_  announced the emcee for Sakura TV and they turned to the television screen.

Moments later the screen changed and instead of the colorful, floral patterns of the Sakura TV opening card there was a white screen with a large K in similar font to Mello and Near's letters from before. Light glanced at L and found him staring intently at the screen, fork and cake forgotten entirely.

_"Hello, I am Kira,"_  said a voice, one that was masked like L's had been during his first confrontation with Kira.  _"People of Japan, I have a proposition for you, so I hope you're listening. And L, I really hope you're watching, because I have a challenge for you . . . Lawliet."_


	11. Chapter 11

Silence rang out and the tension in the room was so palpable, it was almost tangible. The television stayed on but everyone had ceased to care, all were looking at L who was in turn staring blankly at the screen in front of him. The fork and plate in his grip were trembling, the only outward sign that he was shaken up by Kira's words. In fact he was so scared, he nearly missed what his challenge was.

" _I've planted an explosive device in a hospital here in the Kanto region,"_  said Kira through the voice scrambler.  _"L, your challenge is to figure out which one it is within the hour and if you do, I'll spare it. Simply have someone appear at Sakura TV and announce the name. People of Japan, if you don't have faith in L's ability to solve my little challenge—and I personally don't blame you—you can do it for him. Bring the detective known as L to the Sakura TV station in an hour and if you do, I'll spare the hospital. Any outside interference from the police or government will result in an early detonation. You have one hour."_

The K graphic disappeared and was replaced with a timer that was already down to fifty-seven minutes. The camera shifted so the timer was in the top right corner of the screen and panned over to the host, whose face was as white as a sheet and appeared to be sweating profusely. Suddenly there was pandemonium as the audience started to scream and people ran for the stage and the cameras, if not for the fear in their eyes, it would have looked incredibly staged. Light reached over and pressed the mute button on the nearby remote. With the absence of sound, L finally looked at her.

"We need to evacuate," said Matsuda, sounding slightly panicked. "You're not safe here, Ryuzaki, we need to move you someplace else."

Light shook her head. "We can't do that."

"Why not?" demanded Matsuda.

"If we suddenly left, that would be like announcing to the world that we have L," snapped Light and Matsuda backed down. "No, he's safe here but if you want to make yourself useful, you can barricade the doors and close the curtains if that would make you feel better."

L could tell she was kidding, even he knew how pointless it would be if a crowd of crazed people somehow discovered that he was staying here and attempted to get in; they would have him in minutes. This seemed to be lost on Matsuda, however, as he began pushing unoccupied armchairs and tables against the nearest doors.

"We need to figure out which hospital he plans to destroy," said Light, easily taking control of the situation. She turned first to Naomi. "Maki, get me a list of all hospitals in the region, it doesn't matter how small they are. When you're done, give it to me and I'll use Ryuzaki's network to find out who is in which hospital and narrow it down that way. There has to be an important guest in one of these hospitals, someone Kira obviously doesn't want to live, and we need to figure out who."

"Yes, ma'am," said Naomi as she rushed back to her computer, having vacated it during the Sakura TV special.

"Miss Asahi, I'll assist you in hacking the hospital patient lists," said Watari, his pipe now discarded and he reminded Light of a soldier, readying himself for battle once again. "If we divide the list, we should be able to work faster."

Light smiled. "Yes, thank you, Watari."

"What should I do?" asked Matsuda, slightly winded as he rushed to close all of the curtains. "I mean, I'm almost done with the barricade, so I could work on almost anything."

Light nodded and considered what Matsuda could possibly do right now. "Call the hospitals as Maki finds them, tell them to begin emergency evacuation preparations. Say you're L when you do, that way it'll look like we're taking this threat seriously instead of presumably doing nothing until the last minute."

Matsuda nodded and then cocked an eyebrow. "Wait, why am I saying I'm L? Surely I should say I'm with the police."

"That would be a terrible idea," said Light, refraining masterfully from rolling her eyes. "Didn't you hear what he said? Any outside interference from the police will result in him prematurely detonating the device."

"Oh, I forgot," muttered Matsuda sheepishly. "Sorry."

Light's stern expression softened just a little. "It's alright, Matsui, I'm sure you're focused on a lot right now."

Matsuda nodded before heading over to his computer beside Naomi, who was already rapidly typing on her keyboard. He soon joined her and began calling a hospital. Light looked at L who was still staring at her with that same blank expression from before, he seemed completely dead to the world and Light felt her gaze soften as she looked at him. He looked like a scared child in a way, a terrified little boy who needed someone to hold him and tell him the world would right itself and all would be well. Light, however, knew better than to say something so meaningless. L knew very well that the world would not right itself without a push in the right direction and she was not about to patronize him by implying otherwise.

"You know, you're rather good at this," said L quietly as he reached for a piece of chocolate from Light's box.

"Good at what?" asked Light curiously as she too reached for a piece of chocolate, hoping the slight amount of alcohol in it would ease her nerves.

"Being in command," replied L as he popped the piece in his mouth.

Light smirked. "Comes from years of experience."

"I don't doubt that," said L around the chocolate. "If detective work loses its appeal to you, I would strongly suggest a career in the military. You would make a fine officer."

"My parents would hate me for that," laughed Light, surprised that she could laugh so easily in his presence. "But thanks for the recommendation, I'll keep that in mind."

L smiled tentatively at her, strangely proud that he had made her laugh and he hoped that he would get another chance. Light smiled at him and then seemed to remember their current situation and frowned.

"Ryuzaki, have you ever failed to save someone?" she asked quietly, so that only he could hear her words.

He did not miss a beat or decide to mince words. "Do you really want me to answer that?" he countered quietly, knowing full well that was a clear answer to her question.

Light gave him a half-hearted grin. "Thank you for being honest."

L found himself returning it. "Anytime, Light."

* * *

It felt as if they were taking too long. Each time Naomi found a hospital, Matsuda called it and she forwarded it to Light or Watari to research. L sat beside her, and she tried not to look at him as she hacked into hospital records but she found herself glancing at him and more often than not, his eyes were on the television. They had muted it just a few minutes before, when people started calling for L's head and cursing his very existence, even though he had not done anything to them personally. Light wondered if he was taking the insults personally.

"You shouldn't be worried about them," she said, despite herself. "They're just scared and when people are scared, they look for an outlet. Right now, that outlet is you."

L remained silent so Light concluded that he was not in fact scared of the people and was ready to focus on her work, when she heard him shift in his seat.

"I'm not worried for my own safety," he said softly, glancing at her with his dark eyes. "I'm worried at how easily they were swayed. One local threat and they're ready to kill me. They would rather sacrifice the future of the world for one measly hospital than give me the chance to continue hunting Kira." He looked down at his feet, shuffling against each other. "People are really annoying."

Light was not sure whether to be shocked or exasperated. L was really a strange man and he only proceeded to become stranger by the hour. "It all goes back to appearances," argued Light as she gained access to the list of names. "Individuals don't want to be seen as in favor for the death of a few hundred people, it would make them look cold and heartless. They want to be seen as compassionate and concerned for the well being of others. Honestly, you're right, people are annoying, but not for the reasons you think." She looked at the television, which was still showing the yelling people but their voices were muted. "Your friend seems to know how to bring out the ugliness in people."

L tensed. "He is not my friend. He never was."

"Then what was he to you?" asked Light, again her curiosity getting the better of her.

"An heir," replied L tersely. "None of this is pertinent to the current situation, so I will request that you not investigate this topic further."

Light now noticed the way he was shaking and how tightly he was gripping the fabric of his jeans.  _'He's afraid of Beyond,'_  she realized as she stared at him. "So he was like Near and Mello," she said slowly, deliberately, tempting fate. "He was going to become the next you, should the need arise, and something happened. He decided that being you wasn't what he wanted. Beyond wanted something more, he wanted to be your superior. That's why he committed those murders in the States and—"

"That's enough!" snapped L, rounding to her with an ugly expression. "I told you to not go down this road and you deliberately disobeyed me."

"I didn't disobey you!" countered Light fiercely. "You requested for me to not investigate, and I didn't. I merely spoke about conclusions I have already made based on the information given. You didn't tell me not to do that. And at least I'm doing something to try and stop him, unlike you who is just sitting there watching people on TV yell about you. You make it sound like you care but I don't believe you do."

L opened his mouth and then closed it again. Light felt triumphant until she saw him look away.

"He is not someone to be treated so flippantly," said L darkly as he looked at the television once again. "You don't understand the danger we are all in and I pray you never do, Beyond will not hesitate to kill anyone. He has already proven that as Kira." He then looked at Light and she shirked away just slightly. "My days are numbered, Light, do you understand that? And once Maki's identity is revealed, she'll be next. We are working on borrowed time, and if Beyond has his way, all of us will be killed. You and Matsui, your father and Kanichi, Nakamura and Watari, Maki and I; all of us will be dead." There was something in his eyes then, something horrifying, as if he was imagining Light falling over dead right there and then. "Believe it or not, I really do care. I don't want to see my world fall into Kira's clutches; I would give my life for that cause. That is how far I am willing to go to end Kira."

Light felt smaller than she ever had before as L turned away again. His declaration that he would give his life to save the world was truly inspiring and demonstrated a level of dedication that she had not entirely expected from him. She glimpsed him again, his pale face as impassive as usual, but she saw something in his eyes, a fire that she overlooked. If he was determined to give his life to stop Kira, then she would do the same.

* * *

The timer on the television ticked down steadily as the four of them worked. Naomi found every hospital in the region, even little clinics that called themselves hospitals. Matsuda called each and every hospital to instruct them to begin evacuations while Light and Watari hacked into the systems and found the lists of patients and compared them to the national registry. It was tough work that seemed to eat up their very limited hour, but they were more than up to the challenge. With twenty minutes to spare, there was a breakthrough.

"The Prime Minister's wife and newborn son!" exclaimed Light happily, glad to finally have a lead. All eyes were on her as she turned to L. "The Prime Minister's wife just had a baby, her first actually, and they're being cared for in a regional hospital about three miles from Sakura TV."

L's face twisted into a pained smile. While he was glad they knew the likely target of Beyond's attack, there was something off. It seemed too simple. Too easy. The intended target was the Prime Minister's family? That did make sense from a bystander's point of view, after all killing them would likely break the Prime Minister's resolve and allow Kira to grow unabated, or it could backfire spectacularly and introduce a further crackdown on Kira related activities. Holding them hostage seemed to serve a better purpose and that was exactly what Beyond was doing. Why did if feel incomplete?

"We should get to Sakura TV!" said Matsuda, practically leaping from his desk. "I'll go—"

"No," said L suddenly, surprising even himself. "I mean, no Mr. Matsui. We're too far away from the station; by the time you get there it would already be too late. We need to send someone else, someone closer."

"Nakamura's close," said Matsuda carefully. "Kanichi is too but he's with the Chief, so I don't want to bug him. I'll call Nakamura and have him deliver the message to Kira. Light, can you send an email to him with the information included?"

Light nodded and began to do just that while Matsuda quickly called Ukita and relayed their instructions to him. Moments later, Matsuda hung up his phone, chuckling to himself.

"Apparently the Chief had considered going over to Sakura TV and arresting everyone there," he said when he saw everyone looking at him. "Kanichi had to hold him down while a nurse delivered a sedative."

"I bet Sayu got a kick out of that," muttered Light with the faintest smile.

"Are the Yagamis still with him?" asked L, very aware of Light's eyes on now him.

Matsuda nodded. "From what Nakamura said, they plan on staying until about seven when visiting hours are finished."

Simultaneously, L and Light look at the countdown on the television and then up at the clock above it. It read seventeen minutes to seven.

"I really wish we could go down and arrest him," sighed Light, frustration lacing every word. "He has to be there, otherwise he wouldn't have wanted someone from our team to go to the station in the first place."

L simply shrugged. He did not wish to upset Light further by saying he believed this was a trap, and he certainly did not want to tell her she was wrong when he had no idea if he was even right. To his great surprise he felt something warm cover his hand, glancing down he saw Light's resting on top of his and he felt her trembling just a little. He turned over his hand and held hers as tight as he dared.

When the clock read five to seven, Ukita appeared on camera. Everyone in the room huddled around the television and watched triumphantly as Ukita announced the intended target. The countdown stopped and the audience applauded, the relieved host congratulated Ukita on his hard work and shook his hand. It seemed as if the crisis had been abated when suddenly, Ukita let go of the host's hand and clutched his chest, before falling to his knees with a soft thud. Seconds later, the feed was interrupted by the K graphic.

" _Well, well, Lawliet it would seem you were unsuccessful,"_  said Kira, his voice still scrambled.

L tensed.

" _I had a feeling you would fail,"_  said Kira maliciously, even with his real voice being indiscernible.  _"The hospital you just named is not my target. You were right in suspecting it. I had considered it, but then I found one much better. One that I believe will serve my purposes well."_

His card disappeared and was replaced by the timer, only this time it was going faster, each minute fleeing like it was a second instead. Their eyes were glued to the numbers, watching, as they grew closer to the end. Collectively they braced themselves for the inevitable, for their failure, and they knew there was nothing they could do now.

When the timer reached zero, there was the sound of an explosion nearby and the ground shook like an earthquake. The mirrors and clocks on the walls shook and fell down, the furniture bounced and some tables and chairs fell over, the windows rattled before shattering into large shards that cut the curtains. Lights flickered and it felt as if the whole world was coming to an end. Despite this chaos, Light was on her feet almost immediately and rushed for the nearest window. Stepping over glass, she stood in front of the destroyed window and her eyes immediately found the smoke and fire coming from a direction that filled her with dread. Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground, the curtains she was clutching were her only source of support as she openly wept.

The hospital that had been destroyed was the one where her father was recovering.


	12. Chapter 12

They were demanding his head and he could not blame them. They were calling him a monster and a fraud and he would not argue. They forced him further into the shadows and he happily obliged. They had failed. No, he had failed. What happened was squarely on his shoulders and he accepted the responsibility for all of this. Not that anyone was going to argue with him over it.

It had been one week since the destruction of the hospital, since the deaths of Chief Yagami, Mogi, Ukita, Sachiko Yagami, Sayu Yagami and so many more. It seemed like everyday there were more names to add to the ever-growing list of those killed either in the hospital or in the surrounding area. There were three hundred names on the list now. L had the list memorized already. His biggest regret in all of this, besides the obvious, was not immediately sedating Light after the hospital was destroyed.

She had been frantic, crying as she tried to jump through the window only for him to pin her to the ground. He would not lose her too . . . he could not lose her, not again. Light had screamed at him, begging for him to let her go find her family, to see if they were alright even though he knew she knew they were gone. He had refused of course and told her that she was being irrational. Light had struck him then, punching him across the face. He had a feeling that was coming and he had not stopped her. She had not made it very far once she was free of his grip, her legs were covered in cuts and imbedded with tiny pieces of glass, and she fell after a few shaky steps. Naomi had caught her and with Watari's help, they took her into an adjoining room to treat her and calm her down. L had felt utterly defeated in that moment.

They changed hotels of course, as the one they were in was reduced to a landmine of broken windows and toppled furniture. They moved to one outside of the region, away from the chaos and destruction. L had not complained he was too numb to the world to care anymore. Naomi and Matsuda followed them, ransacking their places of residence before making the seemingly permanent move to the Kansai region. Light had been transported separately by Watari and had taken up residence in a private suite adjoining their new headquarters. She had not been out since.

"What do we do now?" asked Matsuda as he rubbed his eyes. He had been in mourning for the Chief, Ukita, and Mogi and pulling triple shifts to make up the shortfall. His determination was admirable if a little insane. "The world is against us and Kira's influence is rising."

"We can't do anything right now," said Naomi, stifling a yawn. She had been working beside Matsuda, also doing the work of three people. "We just have to wait."

Matsuda groaned as he rested his head on his arms. "Wait for what? For the lynch mob to find us?"

"Don't be so morbid," snapped Naomi half-heartedly. "They aren't going to kill us, maybe imprison us but not kill us."

"They'll kill me," said L softly as he watched a television special on the recent attack. They were debating whether or not Kira was right to issue the challenge in the first place, so far the pro-Kira side was winning. "I'm the one responsible."

"We all are," argued Matsuda almost immediately. "We all made the decision."

"He's right, Ryuzaki," said Naomi, although she did not sound as convinced at Matsuda.

L shook his head. "No, the challenge was issued to L not the Task Force. Therefore, I am responsible. Maki, I have come to the conclusion that you will not be killed by Beyond."

He watched Naomi's eyes widen in shock but she said nothing, probably waiting for him to elaborate.

"He would have done so by now," said L simply, as if it were obvious. "Whatever his plan is, it doesn't involve killing you. More likely it involves toying with me before he ultimately kills me. You'll be spared, so long as he doesn't know you're working with me."

Naomi sighed heavily. "Yes, I had been thinking something similar. Ryuzaki, I don't believe he's going to kill you until he has destroyed you." She glanced at the television, disgust etching itself on her features. "He wants to bring down L, but not just physically because he knows you have someone in the wings waiting to take your place; no, he wants to destroy L's reputation and make it impossible for you or whoever to work again. He isn't going to stop until the detective known as L is nothing more than a villain and the people of the world are against him."

"He's doing a remarkable job," murmured L as he rubbed his thumb against his lips. "We should probably disband soon, while you still have your lives."

Matsuda and Naomi shared a look of pure shock.

"Don't worry, you will be compensated for your diligence so far," said L, ignoring their look, "and I will ensure that wherever you go, you are safe."

Matsuda was the first to recover. "But Ryuzaki, we've done so much already! We know who it is and we know what his plan is, why can't we just work to stop him?"

"And what about Light?" asked Naomi and something in her tone suggested she knew just how special she was to L. "She doesn't have anywhere to go."

L said nothing in response and instead stood up, his shoulders hunched more than usual and he headed for the door that led into Light's room. He used a key in his pocket to unlock the door and slipped inside. Naomi and Matsuda watched him, slightly dumbfounded.

"It would be best not to trouble yourselves trying to figure out his motivations," said Watari, whom had been quietly making tea in the corner. "More than enough people have gone insane trying to do just that."

Matsuda coughed nervously. "I guess you're right. Watari, do you think Ryuzaki meant it when he said he wants us to disband?"

Watari stopped his task of counting sugar cubes and mulled over Matsuda's question for a moment or two. "I'm not quite sure, but I believe that is what he is planning to discuss with Miss Asahi."

Naomi put a hand on Matsuda's shoulder. "Don't worry, even if he does, I'm not going to stop working on the case and I'm sure you won't either."

"No way," said Matsuda sternly. "We've come too far and lost . . . lost too much to stop now."

Naomi nodded as she returned her attention to her screen, her dark eyes distant. "I know."

* * *

L found himself at Light's bedroom door and could not find it in him to knock. Sure he did not have any trouble going into the suite without permission but this was different, this was the space where Light had locked herself away from the rest of the world. Entering without permission would be a huge violation of her person. Hesitantly L brought up his fist and rapped the door with his knuckles, fully expecting no answer.

"Who is it?" asked Light, her voice muffled from the door and likely days of endless crying.

L felt his heart clench at the sound of her voice, she sounded so upset and very unlike the confident young woman he had met at that party oh so long ago. L could hardly believe that it had been almost five months since he first met her, in all honesty it had not felt like that long but there was no doubt, it was indeed five months. And in those five months, he had done nothing but lie to her. He had been a little more honest with her of late but it was not enough to make up for the weeks of deception.

"It's me," said L, knowing she would know who was on the other side of her door.

"What do you want?" she asked, sounding irritated and mournful.

"I need to speak with you," replied L calmly even though his heart was aching from hearing her so sad. "And I would rather not do it through a door."

There was nothing in response but L thought he heard the creaking of the bed. Then he heard what sounded like footsteps on carpet and before he could really form a reason why, the door swung open to reveal Light. She was standing in a fluffy white bathrobe, her long brown hair was darker and was visibly wet hanging past her shoulder blades and appeared slightly disheveled. Her eyes, her lovely eyes that reminded L so much of an autumn day, were rimmed red and seemed lifeless. He desperately wanted to reach out and embrace her but remained still.

"May I come in?" he asked calmly, amazed that his voice could actually work.

Light nodded and stepped out of the doorframe. L stepped inside and his eyes immediately fell on the bed, it was perfectly made save for the small wrinkling on the side that faced the large window. He had a feeling Light had been lying there for a while.

"What did you want to talk about?" asked Light as she moved past him and back to the bed, where she sat daintily against the pillows. She did not sound hostile or angry, rather she sounded expectant and impatient, like she had been waiting for this to happen.

L suddenly recovered his senses and looked away from her, not about to distract himself with images of sliding up beside her and taking off that soft robe while kissing her long, white neck—he was going to need a shower himself if he kept this up. "I'm thinking of disbanding the Task Force."

Her reaction was not necessarily what he expected.

"Are you insane?!" she demanded, bounding up from the bed in a single bounce. "After everything we've been through, you want to run away!"

"No, but I feel this is a necessary step," said L calmly, meeting the fire in her eyes. "Beyond is not going to kill Maki as I first suspected, as he seems more interested in bringing down L and the three of you are just targets for him to use against me. I will not allow more people to be killed on my watch."

Light set her jaw in anger. "Well, I can't say I'm all that surprised. You're very good at running away when things get complicated."

L's eyes widened. "Are you referring to that night?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about," snarled Light and L felt acutely afraid. "You used me and then ran away, hiding for weeks before finally finding it convenient to peak out from behind your laptop." She crossed her arms tight against her chest.

"I didn't use you, Light," snapped L. "I—"

"Don't lie!" shouted Light, startling him. "You used me to lure Mikami out. I finally figured it out after you had me call him. I might not have known him then but you must have suspected that he was interested in me, so you used that to draw him out of the crowd. I don't know why and frankly I don't care; it was all just some kind of game to you. Like what happened to my family!"

L stood up straight, his back almost literally against a wall by the force of her glare. "That wasn't a game and I didn't treat it as such! Do you really think I wanted your family and all of those people to die?! Do you really think I'm that heartless?"

"I don't know what to think," Light shot back, venom in her voice. "You certainly seemed perfectly content to just sit while we did all of the heavy lifting. You didn't even offer to help; you just sat there and watched as the audience tore you down. It's like you've never dealt with criticism before."

"You had everything handled, I didn't think it would be my place to interfere," countered L and he watched as surprise momentarily crossed her cold eyes. "Everything you did was exactly what I would have done, so there wasn't a point in me taking control."

Light's arms loosened just barely. "Why did you let me take control?"

"Because at the time, I couldn't think," admitted L, sounding disappointed with himself at admitting such a weakness. "My former heir had just issued me a public challenge, again, and was planning on killing innocents, again. On top of that, he gave the viewing public my name, something I have guarded for years from anyone. I was at a loss. It was a situation I was not prepared for and I lost my head."

"And those people lost their lives," said Light harshly, although her voice hitched just slightly and he looked up to see tears glistening in her eyes, illuminated by the moonlight streaming in through the window. "Do you think if you had been in charge that we would've saved their lives?"

L shook his head immediately, he had asked himself that very same question several times over the last week and he had come to the same conclusion: It did not matter. Beyond would have destroyed a hospital no matter what, his goal was to show people that he was not as all powerful and perfect as he projected; he humanized L and in doing so, annihilated the confidence people had placed in him. "He wasn't going to stop until he had killed someone," replied L softly. "I'm just sorry that it was your family."

Something akin to a sob escaped Light's mouth, even though she was quick to cover it afterwards, but L still heard her. Despite knowing better, he went over to her and tried to put his arms around her, but she pushed him away as tears ran down her cheeks.

"This is all your fault!" she shouted as she backed away from him. "If you had checked on Beyond sooner, you would've seen that he wasn't dead and you could've prevented all of this!" Her sorrow became rage. "Why did you let him live!? He had already murdered three people, and according to Naomi they were killed in horrific ways, he deserved to die!"

L glared at her. "No one deserves to die, Light! No matter what they do. You know that."

"Mikami agrees with me," she hurled, and the words hit him like a ton of bricks. "He would've killed Beyond if he were Kira. He wouldn't let some murderous bastard get the better of him."

"Then go to him!" roared L, shocking himself and Light. "Go to him and be happy. I've seen the way you are with him and how happy you were to talk to him."

Light looked as if someone had slapped her but that quickly changed. "How could you have seen me—you were spying on me! Damn it, L!"

"Yes, I was," said L, his emotions getting slightly better of his mind. "I was worried, I didn't want you to be hurt or worse. I suspected he might be Kira and I wasn't about to risk your life. I wanted to make sure you were safe."

"Why?" she demanded, taking a dangerous step towards him. "You didn't care about me that night and you sure as hell don't care about me now."

Something in the way she said that broke something in L and he closed the distance between them and gripped her upper arms, forcing her to look at him although she was hardly having trouble in that area. "I do care about you, Light!" he nearly shouted, remembering at the last minute just how close she was. "I have cared about you for so long, it's been almost unbearable." His grip slackened. "That night at the party was not the first time we met, I had encountered you before that. I was doing recon regarding the Kira case long before I was invited or even offered help, and I saw you with your sister visiting your father. Our eyes met and you smiled at me, politely but it was genuine. After that, I couldn't get you out of my head. I wanted so badly to meet you again but I couldn't come up with a logical means of doing so, until I saw an online conversation about you all going to a party at the nearby university." His hands went slack but he still held on to her. "Mikami was going too, something I found out of character for him, so I told myself that was my opening. Really, I wanted to go to that party just on the off chance I would see you again.

"Leaving you that night, after what we shared, was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life," he continued as he gently rubbed where he had been grabbing on her arms. "I wanted to tell you everything, who I was and what I did, why I was there but I knew I couldn't. You were already on Mikami's radar and I couldn't risk your safety like that, so I had you followed by two of my associates and watched you myself as I tried to get you involved in the case in another way. It was by pure chance that you encountered Naomi, although I can't say I'm too upset about it, after all it brought you here." L hesitantly brought a hand up to her cheek and wiped away her drying tears with his thumb. "I'm sorry about all of this, Light. There is so much I wish I would change if I could but I can't. I'm sorry for everything."

L looked away and made to leave but two hands firmly gripped his forearms, stopping him cold. He turned back to Light to ask her what was wrong when a pair of lips met his in a soft kiss. L nearly jumped backwards when he felt Light's lips on his but he stayed still, grounded by the feeling of her hands rubbing his forearms and her lips caressing his in a light embrace. L kissed her back, unable to control himself any longer after so many weeks of pure abstinence, and she seemed pleased when he responded. He felt her tongue brush his lower lip and he was all too happy to allow her entry. Their tongues danced together as they were reunited, remembering the motions from their first interaction.

L moaned. It felt so good to have Light kissing him and to be kissing her back that he could express it no other way. Carefully, not wanting to break the spell too soon, he moved his hands up her arms towards her shoulders just as hers went around his waist. He rubbed her shoulders gently through her robe and she brought hers to his hips and rubbed his slightly protruding hipbones. When he felt her fingers dip below the waistband of his jeans, burning hot against his skin, he stopped and pulled away.

"What now?" asked Light, sounding incredibly hurt.

"This isn't right," replied L softly, sounding defeated and reluctant. "You're in mourning and upset, I don't want to be seen as taking advantage. I don't want to hurt you again."

Light's arms wrapped around his waist tightly and chuckled slightly. "You really are like a knight."

L's eyes widened as he recalled her saying he was a knight compared to the other boys at the party and he felt a small smile tug at his lips. "Sweet talk won't get me again, Light. You'll have to try harder than that."

"I don't think I will," said Light with a smirk as she moved her hips against L's very prominent erection and he bit back a very loud groan. "L, I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"There's no reason to be," said L dismissively. "You have every right to be angry with me."

Light surprised him and put her head on his shoulder, he was just barely tall enough for this to work but he was so glad for those extra couple of inches.

"Please stay with me," she whispered as his arms encircled her. "I don't want to be alone."

"I will, I promise," said L reverently and he kissed her temple. Yes, he would stay with her, every second of every day until she told him to leave or he was forced to. He could not be without her, not now or ever, it was just as counterproductive to his life as giving up sweets or sitting in a chair like any other person. If he could continue to break through Light's walls, maybe she would let him stay, maybe she could learn to love him as he did her.


	13. Chapter 13

L awoke the next morning feeling more rested than he had in a very long time. The morning sun streamed into the room and he sluggishly blinked as he attempted to chase the sleep from his eyes. He wondered if this was what people meant when they said they had a lazy Sunday morning. Something heavy on his arm began to pull him further out of sleep and he looked to see what it was; to his astonishment, it was Light. She was curled up quite contentedly, using his arm as her pillow. Even more shocking was the fact his other arm was wrapped around her waist.

He froze for a moment, barely able to keep himself calm as he thought about Light's possible reactions to waking up in his arms. She was definitely not going to be pleased, he was certain of that at least. L experimentally moved his arm under her head, trying to determine how best to extricate himself from the situation when Light suddenly jumped out of bed and dashed for the bathroom. He sat there and listened as Light dry heaved and eventually expelled the contents of her stomach into the toilet. She stayed in the bathroom for almost ten minutes just dry heaving and L had a working hypothesis as to why. According to Watari, Light was refusing most food offered, instead living primarily off tea and dark chocolate, which sounded reasonable given her current state. Still, it seemed strange that she was so suddenly ill when she exhibited no prior symptoms.

Finally she emerged from the bathroom looking a little green but otherwise fine, when she saw him she smiled and laid back down on the bed, not as close to him as when they woke up but close enough. In the morning light he saw what darkness hid. There were dark circles under her eyes and her skin seemed a little more sallow than he remembered, it also was evident that she was down a couple of pounds since the last time he saw her this close.

"Sorry about that," she muttered, sounding exhausted. "I haven't been feeling well lately."

L tentatively reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. "I'm sorry, would you like me to send for a physician?"

Light shrugged, curling up into the fetal position. "That's not the worst idea."

"I know of a few good doctors in Tokyo who are discreet and make house calls," he said soothingly as his hand drifted to her shoulder. "I'll call them in a little while."

"Thank you," she said and she rolled over so her face was buried against his neck and her fists tangled in his shirt. "Don't disband the Task Force. We have to stop Kira and without you, we don't stand much of a chance."

L was both flattered and suspicious of her praise; she made it sound like that he was necessary to the success of the team but not as integral as he believed. "We'll discuss it. If I did, what would you do?"

"Work with Maki and Matsui to hunt for Kira," she replied immediately and he chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"It sounds like you have aspirations of becoming L," he replied and she sighed heavily. It struck him just then that maybe she might be trying to take his place after all. "Is that what you want, Light? To become like me?"

Light rolled her eyes even though he would not see it. "Well, given my craving for sugar and the bags under my eyes, I'd say I'm already half-way there."

L laughed and Light smiled at the sound. He put his arm loosely around her, holding her closer as he tested out how much physical contact he could get away with.

"I'll still find you beautiful, even if you look like me," said L softly, wondering aloud more than anything.

"You think I'm beautiful?" asked Light, glancing up at him.

He chuckled and held her just a little tighter. "You know that everyone who looks at you finds you beautiful. You just like to hear it."

"Well, I like hearing it from you," she admitted, her cheeks turning bright pink. "You know, I don't think you've ever said it."

"No, I don't believe I have," he agreed, his fingers slowly caressing her lower back. "And that's a terrible thing to admit."

Light shrugged. "It's not like you just told me you're Kira, so it's not that bad."

"That's true," said L as his caressing increased just slightly. "And I've decided that I won't disband the Task Force, but I will have to do some things differently."

"Like what?" asked Light, moving so she and he were eye level.

"You'll just have to wait," replied L, kissing her forehead lightly before he extracted himself from her. "Now, I'm going to head back to my room and freshen up, I would suggest you do the same. In about five minutes, I'll have Watari bring you a cup of tea and some dry toast, and then when you're finished getting ready, you are invited to join us for the meeting. I'll tell Maki and Matsui to expect you." He leaned down and kissed her forehead again. "They'll both be relieved to see you."

Light nodded. "I didn't mean for them to worry."

"I know," said L as he stood up before he became too ensnared in the trap that was a big bed and Light in a fluffy robe. "If you'll excuse me, Miss Asahi."

Light rolled her eyes and giggled before throwing a pillow at his head. He easily missed it and it hit the wall with a dull thud.

"That's a little too formal, don't you think, L?" she asked with a dancing gleam in her eyes. "I mean we did spend the night together."

L grinned as he picked up the pillow and threw it back at her, hitting her in the torso. "We did, and I feel we should establish boundaries so you aren't able to seduce me while we work."

Light feigned annoyance as she picked up another pillow and threw it at him, this time it hit him squarely in the face. "So  _I_  won't seduce  _you_? As I recall, Ryuzaki, I don't even have to seduce you to get you into my bed."

"Be that as it may, we should act professionally," said L as he picked up the pillow and hit her with it, this time he did not let go. "And pillow fights are incredibly childish."

In response, Light picked up a large pillow and sat up on her knees some distance from L. She raised it high above her head and brought it crashing down on his just as he brought the pillow in his hand up to strike her. The two pillows tore from their rough handling and exploded into a shower of white feathers. Light and L stopped their battle long enough to look at the feathers, realizing a little too late what they had done but neither one really cared. L took advantage of the situation and lunged playfully at Light. She shrieked and then laughed as he tackled her, he found himself joining her as he gained the upper hand and pinned her by her wrists to the bed. They laughed at the absurdity of their behavior and the situation, they laughed at the thought of someone finding them like this and what they would think, and they laughed because that was what people did when they were in pain.

L gazed down at Light, she looked so beautiful right now, laughing and smiling like she did not have a care in the world. He knew better of course, he knew that she was carrying a lifetime of burdens on her shoulders, but right now she looked like the carefree teenager she was before all of this started. He smiled when she calmed down and smiled up at him; with her white robe and fanned out hair, she looked like an angel against the white feathers beneath her. An angel with broken wings.

He knew he should leave, get up and get out before he did something she might regret, but he could not bring himself to move. L was paralyzed, trapped by her gaze and his desire. Despite knowing better, despite promising Light that he would not take advantage of the situation, he leaned down and kissed her softly; he wanted to kiss her until her lips were red and swollen and she was gasping for air but considering the promise he made last night, he thought this was a reasonable compromise. When he pulled away he pressed his forehead against Light's, their noses rested side by side and their lips were just a breath away. God did he want her.

"Be mine," he whispered before he could stop himself. It just slipped out, unplanned and completely by surprise.

Light smiled sheepishly. "Only if you'll be mine."

"In a heartbeat," he declared, sealing his promise with a kiss. Logic could wait. Right now he was running on pure emotion and need, and what he needed was Light. "Forever and ever."

Light softly smiled, she reached up and brushed some of his hair out of his face. Her fingers grazed his forehead and cheek, the warmth from her skin warmed him to the very core and he struggled to resist simply giving into his needs right then and there. "L, we should talk about this."

' _Damn it all straight to hell,'_  thought L bitterly as he moved to lie beside her.  _'Why couldn't her mind have been addled like mine?'_

To his great surprise, Light rolled right on top of him, her knees on either side of his hips and a very warm part of her anatomy right over a very hard and aching part of his. L instinctually put his hands on her hips and he was glad for the obscene number of pillows behind his back, it gave him a great view of the woman straddling his hips.

"What would you like to talk about?" he asked, hoping his tone did not come across as needy or agitated.

"Us," she replied curtly. "I . . . I want to try to have something with you, L. But I'm not going to be with someone I don't or can't trust. Everything between us has been a lie in some form or another and people can't build a relationship on that kind of foundation."

L nodded, knowing that she was right.

"I want it all out in the open," she continued, sounding like she was conducting a business agreement rather than being almost naked on top of a man, who was very obviously aroused. L commended her on her professionalism in the face of obstacles. "I want you to tell me everything, L, about anything I ask. No lies, no vague answers, none of that. It must be the complete truth."

She was not making this easy and he hardly expected anything less. "Alright," he said, subtly rubbing her hips with his thumbs. "What do you want to know?"

"Your full name," she said immediately.

He wanted to point out that she already knew, given what Beyond has done, but he knew this was a test, determining if he really will be honest. "L Lawliet."

Light relaxed. "Why were you at that party? Other than a chance to meet me."

"I thought it was strange that Mikami was going," he said with a slight shrug. "In all my time observing him, he passed on several social invitations, unless they involved you, strangely enough."

Light frowned. "I never met him before he became my college mentor. I knew he was an esteemed alumnus from my high school but he was almost finished when I started." She looked off in the distance for a few moments. "Now that I think about it, I do remember seeing him while I was out. He was even at the funeral for Amane's family."

It was L's turn to frown. "He obviously carries an unhealthy obsession for you." Not that he was much better.

Light smirked. "He's not the only one, is he L Lawliet?"

Damn her quick mind. "I'll admit that I have . . . a stronger than natural interest in you," he admitted slowly, trying to phrase his words so it did not sound like he was outright stalking or obsessed with her. "However, I did not go out of my way to interact with you like Mikami. The party was just a lucky coincidence."

"Is that what you're calling it now?" she asked cheekily. "Alright, well, when did you start investigating Mikami?"

"About two weeks after Kira became public knowledge," replied L, his hands moving slowly up to her waist. "I already had a list of suspects and people in mind based on a general profile and he was on the list. He only cemented his place when he pulled that stunt with his friend's rapist and asked Kira to kill him."

"How long ago was the rape?" asked Light and he could see the wheels turning.

"Almost a year ago," said L and Light frowned sharply. "What did he tell you?"

"He made it sound like it was recent," she explained, her brow furrowed. "That was how he explained the man following him. He said it was a bodyguard the school paid for because of the rape investigation." She tugged on her lower lip with her teeth. "Well, it seems like you aren't the only man who has lied to me. Do you have foster brothers, by the way?"

L shook his head. "No. What I told you that day was part of a backstory I concocted. I didn't know what I might discuss with people there, if I was spoken to at all, so I had a story in place in case anyone asked. Incidentally, you were the only one who spoke to me that night. I tried approaching others, but they either ignored me or told me to get lost."

An image of L standing against the wall at the party jumped into Light's mind. She imagined him standing there all night, alone, his hands in his jean pockets and shuffling his dirty sneakers. It was undeniably sad and she was glad that this was not the case. Even though she knew now that his goal had not been social interaction, she still was not in favor of him being ignored or alone.

"I'm glad I didn't," she said suddenly before she could stop herself. She looked at L and saw the shock plainly on his face; obviously that was not the reaction he was expecting.

"So am I," he said at last. "And I wanted to tell you that you were right when I said I used you as bait to draw out Mikami. I had a feeling that if I drew you out into a more public area, he would come out as well. I just didn't anticipate engaging him in a round of fisticuffs."

Light snorted. "Knowing him now, I wouldn't think he had it in him if I hadn't seen it for myself. It's just strange that he would behave so . . . emotionally. He's so calm and collected, I would've expected a verbal confrontation over a physical one."

L considered this carefully. "Perhaps there are two sides to Mikami: the one he presents to the world and his true self, a more emotionally-charged man who uses his body over his brain." He sat up a little more; this line of thinking had promise. "Maybe you bring it out in him Light, or maybe women in general do." He was itching to investigate this thought. "Would you be adverse to spending more time with Mikami? Maybe in a less professional setting?"

"Are you asking me to date him?" she asked incredulous and he nodded. "L, I'm not interested in him that way and I don't want to lead him on; what if he is Kira or linked to him and has me killed for doing that? He already knows my name and face."

L knew this was coming and it pained him to admit how scared he was of that outcome, but he was even more scared of Kira getting away. "Light, I swear to you, I will not let that happen. He won't get you, even if I have to handcuff myself to you to keep you safe, I'll do anything to make sure you won't be hurt."

Light chuckled. "I had no idea you were so kinky."

"Well, we didn't exactly get to do much that night, but you're missing the point," he said with a wicked grin.

Light shook her head. "No, I know exactly what you're saying and thank you, I'm glad someone is still looking out for me . . . now that . . . now that my family . . . "

L reached for her hands and held them tightly as she began to cry again, he had not meant to cause her more pain and he was kicking himself for making such a claim to begin with. Of course saying something like that would make her think of her family, it was only a natural line of thinking. He wanted to hold her until she stopped crying but he stopped himself, he was already pushing his luck as it stood.

"I'm sorry," he muttered as he reached up and wiped a few tears from her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Light."

Light sniffled and wiped her tears with her sleeve. Her eyes were red, as was her nose, and she seemed so lost and broken it was difficult for L to remember that there was a strong and determined young woman at her core. He wanted to bring that out in her, to bring her back from the brink before it was too late.

"Light," he said softly, keeping his voice low so as not to startle her. "Light, I want you to lead the investigation from now on."

She immediately stopped crying in favor of looking at him as if he had completely lost his mind. "Wha-What the hell are you talking about?" she asked, sniffling slightly.

"I want you to be L," he replied firmly, "but I want you to be someone else, I want you to be one of my other personas. I want you to act as Deneuve."

This caught Light's attention. "You mean you're L and Deneuve? Are you also Eraldo Coil?"

L nodded. "I am all three of the greatest detectives in the world. No one besides you and Watari know this, but we might have to tell Maki and Matsui, so they aren't completely thrown for a loop when you start calling the shots and going under a different name. I'm also going to instruct my heirs, the two young men we spoke to before plus a genius hacker, to be at your complete disposal. I'll give you everything you'll need to become the next top detective in the world, all you have to do is say yes."

"What will you do?" she asked a little hesitantly. "You aren't planning on leaving, are you?"

"Hardly," replied L with a smirk. "I plan on playing a more supportive role, sort of like the role Watari plays for me. I'm already a dead man walking, so I'm not risking anything going out in public, so long as I'm disguised."

"How did you even come up with this?" asked Light, noticeably more comfortable with the plan now that she knew he was not abandoning her to deal with Kira.

L smiled. "Well, you did, actually. You said that if I disbanded the Task Force, you would work with Maki and Matsui to solve the case and catch Kira, so that's exactly what we're doing. I'm going to transfer responsibility and leadership of the Task Force to you, Deneuve, and effectively remove L from the case completely; at least as far as the general public is concerned."

Light's eyes widened. "But . . . but won't that completely destroy the detective known as L? You'll never be able to work again if you leave now."

"I can't really work now," admitted L with a sigh. "Beyond has seen to that personally. No, this is exactly what needs to happen. So what do you say, Light? Will you become Deneuve and bring Kira to justice by any means necessary?"

She seemed nervous. She seemed tense. But beneath it all, she seemed excited. Her eyes were twinkling in a way they had not in the past week. She seemed on edge and ready to jump, jump into this new world where she would be in control and in command.

Light leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. "Yes."


	14. Chapter 14

The delegates were nervous. This was the second time in less than six months that they convened on the issue of Kira and now that many of their member nations were siding against L and with Kira, things were starting to go downhill. Several people looked at Japan's empty booth, the Chief of the NPA was killed in the hospital blast just a week ago and the organization had yet to send word as to who would be taking his place. The back door opened and everyone turned around, there was murmuring as the individual slowly walked down the steps towards Japan's booth. It was Detective Aizawa, the late Chief's second in command.

Aizawa sat down and stared straight ahead, a calm expression hiding the turmoil beneath the surface. He had taken this position reluctantly, more at the insistence of the Deputy Director than out of any desire to further his career. The NPA needed a chief and he needed to bring Kira and L down to make them pay for what they did to his friend and mentor. It was a natural decision.

The meeting started moments later as the chairmen arrived and took their seats in front of the same stage that Watari had appeared on to announce L would be assuming control of the investigation. Aizawa glared at the stage. It symbolized the beginning of the end. He thought the ICPO was more than capable of dealing with Kira without outside help, which is why it came as a complete surprise when a figure in a long black trench coat slowly walked on the stage carrying a briefcase. The whispering from before renewed and seemed to have gained new fervor at the possibility of another L and what it meant for the original. Aizawa had had enough.

"What the hell is this?" he asked, standing up to face the chairmen. He was not about to work with another L, no way in hell.

The one in the middle, an agent of the CIA, calmly met his gaze. "We've been approached by another top detective, Chief Aizawa. Considering L has been compromised, we thought it was a good idea to go with the second best detective in the world."

Aizawa ground his teeth as he stared at the man onstage. "And how do we know he can be trusted? We thought L was our best option and look at what happened when we gave him control. We lost the Chief and hundreds more were killed!"

"L was a fool," said the man onstage, his voice deep and monotone. "He assumed he would be a superior challenger to Kira and was grossly underprepared for the ferocity of his opponent. Deneuve is far more prepared to deal with Kira than he ever was."

"I still don't think it's necessary," snapped Aizawa. "We're more than capable to tracking Kira on our own, we don't need their help."

"If you were so capable, why is Kira still free?" asked the man calmly.

"Gentlemen, this is getting us nowhere," said the American delegate. "Please sit down, Chief Aizawa, Deneuve would like to speak with us."

Aizawa glared at them harshly before sitting down, not even close to content with the idea of dealing with L's successor or equal or whatever the hell this was going to be. The man onstage bowed to the American and reached into his pocket, he pulled out a small remote that he aimed at the projector overhead. It turned on and almost instantly there was an image on the screen behind him of a darkened silhouette sitting in a desk chair. The shadow was sitting against a wall but there was nothing discernable that would give away a location.

"Good morning," said the shadow, its voice distorted as L's had been. "I'm glad you have accepted my offer. By now, I'm sure you know my purpose for reaching out to you. L has fallen. He is no longer capable of leading this investigation, so I have accepted the task of bringing Kira to justice.

"My name is Deneuve, and I am now the official leader of the Anti-Kira Task Force here in Japan and all over the world. Several member nations of the ICPO have already agreed to provide me with a task force and resources and I am already working closely with them to smoke out our common enemy. I am sorry that so many fine countries have given in to this madman but I do not begrudge them that decision; Kira's latest performance was very persuasive.

"I do not take such an attack lightly. Those were innocent people who were killed, people who should not have even been considered a target in the first place. I will personally ensure that Kira is brought to justice for his crimes against those individuals and the criminals he needlessly killed."

The air changed and the previous tension seemed lifted. People were murmuring their agreement with Deneuve's agenda and goals, so far much more impressed with him than they were with L; this person already had a plan in place and was clearly outraged by the recent attack. L had said nothing in acknowledgement of what happened.

Only one person was far from impressed.

"Japan rejects your offer for help, Deneuve," said Aizawa as he stood up. His declaration earned him gasps and glares but he was hardly bothered. "We were burned already by L and we're not about to make the same mistake again."

All eyes went from Aizawa to the screen. To their surprise, Deneuve chuckled.

"How admirable, Detective Aizawa," said Deneuve with a hint of amusement. "You place a great deal of faith in your fellow police officers and that is commendable but pointless. We have reason to believe that the NPA has a leak and therefore, we won't be working with you. Instead, I have gathered a force of former detectives and those who recently left the service in Japan to assist me. Your help will not be needed."

Aizawa gaped. Why would Deneuve not need their help and how was he able to operate without permission?

"I already obtained permission from the necessary channels, Detective," continued Deneuve as if reading his mind. The shadowy figure gestured at the floor. "My assistant Roger can provide you with the papers, if you need physical proof."

Aizawa said nothing and instead took his seat in response.

"Thank you," said Deneuve flatly. "Now, onto the business at hand, gentlemen."

* * *

When the camera went off, Light, Matsuda, and Naomi all burst out laughing. They all found Aizawa's blatant refusal and subsequent astonishment quite hilarious, especially at the end. He ran up to the stage and snatched the briefcase out of "Roger's" hand, proceeding to go through it until he found the paperwork. It was very satisfying to see his face fall when he realized that the documents were legitimate. They could hardly blame him, in his shoes, they would have been just as surprised that one person could command such power over so many nations.

Light had been a little surprised and more than a little concerned at how easily L was able to procure those documents from the Japanese government, not to mention the other countries they were now sanctioned to work in. That last part had been Light's idea. It was to ensure that if things became difficult in Japan, they could escape into another country and still maintain jurisdiction over the case. If Beyond was as dangerous as they surmised, a quick escape might just be what they need at some point in the future.

"That was great!" said Matsuda, wiping a tear from his eye. "Good job, Light, you were very convincing as L's replacement."

Light smirked as she moved out of her seat in the shadows they created for her debut as Deneuve. All things considered, this went very well, although she was a little disappointed that L's suspicion that Kira was in the ICPO did not pan out. It would have been interesting to have a face off right away with Kira, but she supposed she could wait a little longer before confronting Beyond. It was going to be immensely satisfying when she was finally able to bring him to justice.

"I'm sure L enjoyed himself, too," said Light as she reached for a plain digestive biscuit Watari brought her that morning. They were bland but helped settle her stomach. "It's not everyday he gets to go outside. I'm glad we sent Watari with him, though, there's no telling what trouble he might have gotten into on his own."

Light smirked to herself as she imagined L slipping away to some remote part of the building and hacking the servers to serve his own purposes and raiding filing cabinets for information. What the ICPO did not know was that Matt had already seen to the former personally. They actually had access to every database in the countries they were now aligned with and it was available with a few clicks of a mouse.

Matsuda sighed. "I was a little worried when Aizawa ran up, I thought he realized who Roger really was. That would've been a disaster for all of us."

Naomi nodded. "I was a little concerned as well. I'm just glad it had to do with Deneuve announcing that she has jurisdiction on all regions of the city to perform any actions she deems necessary to the investigation. I bet he couldn't stand the idea of someone like L having complete freedom to bend or break as many rules as possible. Honestly, it's a cop's worst nightmare."

Light smirked as she poured herself a cup of white tea from the teacart and mixed in a splash of cream along with four sugar cubes. "That was slightly unnerving, but I knew he didn't recognize L, he would've said something and probably shot him for good measure."

The two former detectives looked at her with wide eyes. She simply shrugged.

"I'm sure Aizawa blames L for my father's death," explained Light as she took a sip of tea. "And Kira as well, but L is likely higher on his target list because he's the one who was supposed to stop Kira rather than give him the opportunity to kill."

"Maybe we should stop sending L out then," said Matsuda worriedly. "If Aizawa finds out—"

"Then Watari will put an end to him," said Light flatly as she dunked her biscuit in her tea. She met Matsuda's eyes easily and without blinking. "Don't worry, Matsui, it's only if he becomes a threat. I'm not going to kill him needlessly."

Matsuda rubbed the back of his neck, obviously not reassured by her words. "I know you wouldn't, Light, but . . . it feels weird being on opposing sides. Aizawa was so eager to find and take down Kira that it's strange not to be working with him."

Light smiled kindly. "I know this is hard, Matsui but he made his choice when he walked out. I won't hold it against him, but I'm not going to embrace him with open arms. Don't worry, I doubt any deadly force will have to be used against people we knew."

Matsuda smiled warily before ducking his head to focus on the laptop in front of him. He was working with L's heir Near to discern Beyond's possible hiding place; so far, they had narrowed it down to Tokyo but the district was still up in the air. This was why they worked so hard to gain jurisdiction in all regions of the city. Mello had been immensely helpful in negotiating with the government officials; while he was a bit more emotionally driven than Near and not as level-headed as Matt, the teen possessed an uncanny knack for reading people and situations. He was the perfect negotiator.

The boys were understandably vexed when they learned they would now be Deneuve's heirs rather than L's but once they understood the situation, they were more than eager to help. It probably helped that L settled his choice once and for all by deeming them all worthy successors and granting them his permission to start their own detective agency after this case was solved. Light could tell just by that one phone call how much of a weight it lifted off of L's and the boys' shoulders.

Light sighed softly as she sat down in a nearby chair and propped her feet up slightly. She glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed again, L's physician would be arriving in an hour but she hardly needed one to tell her what was wrong. She was no fool, she knew what her symptoms were and what they pointed to, she only agreed with the idea to appease L because she had a feeling he would hound her or worse, track her symptoms himself to try and draw a conclusion. No, she knew what her illness was. She was carrying L's child.

Discreetly she put a hand on her abdomen where the barest bump existed, by her reckoning she was approximately three months along, give or take a couple of weeks. She should be moving out of this nausea stage soon, and god did she want it to be over; it was bad when it first started happening not too long after L left but since her family's death, her stress made it worse. She glanced back at the clock and then at L's cellphone, the one he used for local calls. She needed to keep this a secret for a little while longer, at least until they caught Beyond and she could not, would not, have L worried about her even more than he already was. Besides, if she was to seduce Mikami, she needed to be allowed out of the hotel and if L knew of her condition, there was no way in hell he was letting her do field work.

With a quick prayer to some nameless, faceless god, Light picked up the phone and headed into her bedroom.


	15. Chapter 15

"So it's just stress?" asked L as he stared at Light after she relayed what the doctor told her that afternoon. He had not been allowed into the room when the doctor examined Light, so he was desperate to find out what the doctor's conclusions were. He was a little skeptical about this doctor now.

"Yes," replied Light with a reassuring smile. "He just told me to take it easy for a few days and my nausea should subside by then."

Well, that was what she told the doctor to say when she called him before L came back to the hotel. She explained to him that she already knew what her symptoms meant and was already in the process of finding a doctor for her pregnancy but she needed to be cleared of illness for work. This was more or less the truth. She could not have the other Task Force members looking too closely at her symptoms or be worried for her more than they already were, especially L. She had a sneaking suspicion that he was already looking at likely causes of her illness and she wanted to halt any progress he might have made with a doctor's diagnosis.

L nodded as he pressed his thumb to his lips. "That may explain the duration of your nausea but it doesn't explain the cause." He pressed a little harder. "He's certainly an incapable doctor if he isn't able to deduce the reason you've felt so poorly."

Light did not miss a beat. "I told you, L, it's just stress."

"I see," said L with a tiny smirk. "And here I thought you were pregnant."

Silence stretched between them for exactly seven seconds before Light released the smallest of sighs. She really was naïve to think anything got past him; this kind of ruse might have worked on her family or friends or any other partner but hers happened to be the three greatest detectives in the world. She should have known she was way out of her league when L got the scent that something about her was off.

"What tipped you off?" she asked, glaring at him slightly.

"Your cravings mostly, but the nausea confirmed it," said L with a shrug. "Sayu mentioned that you preferred dark chocolate exclusively but when I gave you those chocolates, some of them were milk or just a few percentage points under dark. I would've thought someone so well-versed in such things would've picked up on the subtle distinctions."

Light felt her face flood with color. Another side effect of pregnancy seemed to be uncontrollable blood flow to her face whenever someone calls her out. "I thought they tasted different," she said, slightly annoyed. "I just thought my taste buds were changing."

"Not to mention you've been taking your tea and coffee as decaf but with multiple sugar cubes," continued L, grinning wider and wider with each word. "It would seem your child has a deep love for all things sugar."

"It's your child, too," said Light before she could think it through. She chalked it up to pregnancy. "I mean, if you want it to be, that is."

L stared at her with wide eyes and a drawn mouth, his smile falling as suddenly as it appeared. "Why wouldn't I want it?"

"Why would you?" countered Light, suddenly defensive. This was certainly not how she pictured telling L that he was going to be a father, and his reactions so far were a far cry from what she prepared herself for. "Having a child will get in the way of your career, you'll be forever entangled with the other parent unless drastic action is taken, and you'll never know a moment's peace again."

He was surprised. These were not the reasons he expected to hear, in fact they were far from the truth. His career was already ruined, he would very much like to be entangled with Light for the rest of their lives, and he has not known peace in years. The more he thought about her arguments, the more he realized how much they could be applied to her. When she learned she was pregnant, she still had plans on joining the NPA and becoming a detective and with a child she would not be able. Second, he was not in her life at the time and was likely angry that she would always have proof of him. Finally, her life was always quiet and orderly with very little upset, a child would throw a wrench into that well-oiled machine.

"Those same points could be applied to you as well," he said quietly as he glanced at her stomach, wondering momentarily why her bump was not more visible. Perhaps she was ashamed to be carrying his child and decided to hide it from the world.

Light glanced down at her stomach as well and put a hand on her bump, something she had resisted against doing in the past but with L here, it seemed natural and right. "I know," she said softly. "I told them to myself the moment I found out."

"How long after?" he asked as his eyes flitted to her face.

"Maybe two weeks after you left," replied Light with a shrug. "It could've been more, but I wasn't really keeping track of time then. After you left, I tried to destroy all memory of you. I even convinced myself that it was just a dream and that you weren't even real." She did not even need to look at him to see the hurt in his eyes. "When I learned . . . about the baby . . . I wanted to destroy it as well." She swallowed hard as tears formed at the corner of her eyes. "It undid all I had tried to hide, it brought you to the front of my mind every time I tried to push you out. It reminded me of how ashamed I was for what happened between us, it reminded me how much I shamed my family, and it reminded me of how much I had failed."

L sensed where this was likely headed and reached over from his perch in his armchair and took Light's hand in his, gripping it hard. "Look at me, Light Yagami," he said sternly and Light's eyes immediately met his. "You are not a failure. You have done nothing of which to be ashamed. You are human, you aren't going to make the best choices in life, you're not perfect by a long shot by that fact alone." He squeezed harder. "I can understand where you were coming from, however. You're seventeen, almost eighteen and you were scared. Any normal person would be scared in your position, hell I bet even people as strange as me would be capable of a normal reaction in that situation." That coaxed a smile out of her. "You are not a failure, in fact you are a success in many respects. This is just going to be one more thing you excel at and I look forward to watching you blossom in motherhood."

Light blushed again, cursing her hormones as she squeezed L's hand back. "Thank you, for being understanding. I'm sure hearing that I thought of getting rid of the baby was not easy for you."

L shook his head. "No, it wasn't, but you didn't and that's what matters. I would've likely been very disappointed in you and myself if you had followed through with it."

This surprised Light. "Why with yourself?"

"Because I wasn't there for you," he replied simply. "I'm disappointed in myself right now for exactly that reason. I wasn't there when you made the discovery and I wasn't there for you when you were struggling with those thoughts and I haven't been there for you lately." He again looked at her belly and marveled at the fact his child was nestled safely within, growing with each passing minute. "I hope you can forgive me for letting you down."

"You haven't let me down," said Light kindly. "I didn't really give you the opportunity to even have a chance." She looked down at their joined hands. "That night . . . I was so angry at you, at the thought that I had just been used so I took that out on you without giving you the chance to explain anything."

L smirked. "To be fair, anything I might have told you would've been a lie anyway, so it's probably better you didn't, otherwise you'd have an even greater reason to be suspicious of me."

Light cocked an eyebrow. "My dear L, I already have enough reason to be suspicious of you, and that started long before we slept together."

"What tipped you off?" asked L, mimicking her words from earlier.

"You definitely weren't acting like a normal college student for one," replied Light with a chuckle. "Not to mention you had no problems with breaking personal and social boundaries. No guy, no matter who he was, would've taken my hand without asking me first."

L nodded in understanding. "I see, well now I know for the next time I want to seduce a girl to always ask her permission."

Something hot and ugly flared up in Light's chest at the thought of L asking another girl to hold her hand or kiss her or touch her the way he had her. "Planning on it soon?" she asked, her tone icy and venomous.

"Well, perhaps," said L mysteriously. "It would be better though if she would stop using her good looks to turn me into a smoking pile of ash."

That startled her and almost instantly her anger evaporated. How could she have seriously thought L would be with another woman? Had he not told her just the other day how much she meant to him? "You know, we never really did discuss what we wanted this to be," she said, using her free hand to gesture at the empty space between them.

"It's whatever you want," replied L calmly although his tone betrayed some of his anxiety.

Light picked up on this and bit her lip against smirking. "So, you're completely fine with whatever I choose? Even if I say I want nothing to do with you and I don't want the baby to either?"

L swallowed hard at the thought of being shut out of Light and his child's lives completely but he nodded. If that was what she wanted, he was not going to stop her or try to persuade her otherwise. This was her life and it was her choice whether or not he was included in it.

"Yes," he replied although it felt like he was signing his death warrant. "That's fine with me, as long as it's what you want."

"I see," said Light airily and she wondered how long she could keep up the charade. It turned out to not be for long when she saw the dead look in his eyes. "L, I want to be with you, I already told you that."

"I know," said L quietly. "I just thought you were saying that in the heat of the moment, I mean, we were in an emotionally charged situation."

Light nodded. "I understand that, but that doesn't change my feelings for you." The corners of her mouth twitched upwards a little. "You know, I wasn't going to tell you about the baby until I was sure that you wouldn't leave me or stick around just to be with the baby."

L chuckled. "And here I thought it was because you were afraid I would ban you from field work."

"Well, that was another reason," admitted Light, blushing again as she smirked. "I should've known better than to think you wouldn't have already looked into my symptoms, that was a bad move on my part."

"It's wise to never underestimate me, you'll always be disappointed when I succeed," said L firmly. "It's always better to overestimate me, even though I will often exceed those expectations as well."

Light laughed and he grinned. This was their second most productive talk in the last few days, the first being the one they shared in their room.

"Am I forbidden from field work?" asked Light after her laughter subsided. He noticed that she was again rubbing her belly and he felt a rush of affection for her, realizing that she was not ashamed to be carrying his child.

L wanted to say no, he wanted to tie her to that chair and prevent her from going anywhere until after the baby was born, and maybe even a few months after. Still, this was no longer his investigation it was hers. He was merely acting as a consultant and handler, nothing more than that; and could he really take away her chance to live out her dream? No. "That's your decision," he replied after some more thought on the matter. "As I said, this is your investigation now, I'm merely a sidekick."

Light laughed again. "Somehow I don't see you just sitting on the sidelines waiting for me to call on you."

"No, that would be rather boring," said L as he winked. Did he wink normally? Apparently he did now. "I can give you my advice on the subject but that's all it will be; you are the authority now."

"I already have a feeling what your opinion is, L," said Light carefully, still caressing the bump where her child grew. "And I want you to trust me—"

"I do," said L immediately and he meant it.

Light smiled. "Anyway, I need you to trust that I'm not being reckless when I say that I'll go through with our plan to get Mikami to confess to being involved with Kira. I will make a few concessions on safety, because this is no longer just about my safety." She glanced at her belly and then back at L. "So, are we in agreement?"

L glanced at her belly as well and then nodded slowly. At least she was being reasonable to think of their child's safety. "The plan will remain unchanged except for the added security of a bodyguard. I won't tell you who it's going to be but it'll be someone I trust completely with my life." He leveled on her a heavy gaze, implying silently that she was his life.

"And you're fine with watching me seduce another man?" asked Light with a cheeky smile threatening to pull across her lips. She already knew how he felt about that part of the plan, he had more or less made it known during one of their initial meetings on the subject, but she could not resist needling him, just a little.

"You're baiting me and I won't bite," replied L knowingly, although his tone was cold as the thought of his Light flirting with and touching another man the way she did with him. It made his heart flare up with that hideous feeling like when Light and Mikami were texting during her first day on the job. "But know that after this, I won't let you put yourself in this situation again. I can always use one of the boys to seduce a target."

Light stared at him with wide eyes. "Which one and why?"

"Mello," replied L with a slight smirk. "Believe me when I say he makes a very convincing woman when he wants to and don't ask me how I know that. I would rather forget that experience altogether."

"You didn't pick him up did you?" asked Light, barely able to fight a smile.

L shuddered at the thought and shook his head. "No, I walked into his room during one of his "routines" and nearly went blind in the process. That was one side of my heir I did not need to see."

"Was he in lingerie?" asked Light and L nodded, looking horrified. "Alright, I won't bring the subject up again."

"Thank you," said L, obviously relieved. "Now, back to the subject at hand. When this is finished, you'll not do this kind of fieldwork again. I'm not forbidding it, because I know how you react when you're forbidden, but I will go out of my way to prevent it."

Light chuckled. "Alright, I guess I can agree to that, on the condition that we can use Mello in my place. I would love to see him as a girl, he seems like the dramatic type and acting would be right up his alley if so."

"Deal," said L with a nod and then he cast his eyes down sheepishly. "Light, would it be out of bounds to consider you my girlfriend?"

"Not at all," said Light easily. It was easy for her because she knew what she wanted now. She wanted L, she wanted this new life, and she wanted their child. Everything was how she wanted it now and she would be damned before she let some insignificant little criminal named Kira wreck it.


	16. Chapter 16

Light was practically bouncing on her heels in anticipation. She was not eager because she was meeting a boy no that was hardly a reason. She was excited because she was finally investigating beyond looking at files or old videos. She was now in an active role and it was now her investigation; she was the one making decisions and in charge of the direction of the case. The feeling was intoxicating and she understood why L reveled in it.

"Light," called Mikami as he rounded a nearby corner. She had texted him the other day, suggesting a day out at a café and a walk in the park. Right now, she was sitting at a table outside the café, a decaf chocolate and coffee drink in front of her.

"Teru," she said as he sat down in the seat across from hers. "I'm glad you could make it."

Mikami gave her a thin smile, a sincere one coming from him she gathered. "I wouldn't miss an opportunity to converse with you, Light. How are you doing? I understand that you haven't been to school of late."

' _He knows, as expected,'_  she thought as she took a sip of her drink. Leading up to this day, she and L had dug deeply into Mikami's past and present, finding out to whom he was connected and his resources. Apparently he was also attempting to woo her friend Takada and the two were speaking heavily online. He had learned everything he knew about Light from her.

"Yes, I've been absent," she said casually. "My guardian thought it was a good idea for me to take a break from school until I felt ready to return. I'm ashamed to say I haven't been myself lately."

Mikami shook his head. "You're in mourning and grieving, I'm sure. You're doing exactly what you should be, don't worry about school until everything else is sorted out."

Light bit her lip and looked at her drink. "But what about my entrance exams? They're only a couple of months away, what am I going to do about them?"

"Something tells me you don't need to worry about them," said Mikami kindly, he reached across the table and took her hand. "You're a very intelligent and capable girl, Light Yagami. I'm of the mind that you have a bright future ahead of you."

Light almost retched as she turned her hand over and squeezed his. It was all an act, an elaborate rehearsal of motions she forced herself to go through in order to convince Mikami that she was on his side. She hated betraying L like this, but he was the one who suggested she do it, her act had to be convincing, after all. "Tell me, how is your friend's rape case going?" she asked, glancing at the empty space behind him. "I don't see your bodyguard, can I assume that the case has been closed to your satisfaction?"

"Yes," said Mikami happily and Light could see it for the lie it was. "The man was convicted and sent to prison. He won't be bothering anyone else for a few years."

"That's great news!" said Light, feigning enthusiasm. "How's your friend doing? Is she satisfied with the justice you gave her?"

Mikami smirked slightly. "She's pleased, but she was rather hoping Kira would intervene, but I guess he can't deal with every piece of scum."

Another lie. Kira had in fact killed the man Mikami accused of rape and the woman involved. The whole story came out during their investigation and it twisted Light's guts just reading it. The young woman accused a fraternity brother and Mikami both of rape, although the latter happened after the brother was not convicted due to lack of evidence. Mikami's case was stronger, but he and many others denied the allegations. The case was due to go to trial about five months ago and then the woman dropped dead of a heart attack and the fraternity brother a short time later. The case was dismissed and Mikami was freed. These were Kira's first victims and L's grounds for suspecting Mikami.

"I guess we don't need Kira as much as the world thinks," said Light carefully, watching Mikami closely for any signs of anger. "I mean you used the current justice system to bring that man to justice and give that woman her life back. You're like a lawful Kira."

Mikami's head seemed to swell with her praise and she knew it, too. Mikami was a prideful man with a large ego he attempted to hide but after speaking to a few of his former girlfriends, they learned just how much he enjoyed hearing praise. They also learned that he had two sides to him, as L suspected, and that in public he was very reserved and considerate but in private, he was obsessive and controlling. He was also prone to violent outbursts. The perfect storm.

"I'm glad you think of me as a version of Kira," said Mikami kindly but Light could see through it; he was angling for more praise. "Honestly, I would have thought your opinion of him would be soured considering what happened to your family."

Light let out a slow breath. She was expecting this and she knew what she had to say, that hardly made it easier. "Actually, my opinion of L is what soured that day." She glanced at Mikami and saw his interest was piqued considerably. "He was supposed to save the hospital and he failed. He was supposed to stop Kira, and again he failed. L was supposed to be the wrench in Kira's plans and instead, Kira has rolled right over him like he has every other person hell bent on stopping him. I'm starting to think it's pointless to try and stop Kira; instead we should be trying to work with him. His idea of a balanced criminal justice system is a noble one, even if he has gone about it in a roundabout way."

Mikami's eyes narrowed behind his black-frame glasses. "What do you mean, a roundabout way?"

"I mean, he shouldn't have killed all of those innocents," said Light firmly. "If he wanted the world on his side, he shouldn't have killed those thirty-six people and those first twelve, not to mention the FBI agents and all he killed in the hospital. I know it was to provoke L and make him prove himself, but it was going a little far. If he hadn't done any of those things, I might be more open in my support."

She could tell her words were taking effect, tension entered his shoulders and he suddenly seemed on edge. This was how she wanted him, angry. Angry enough to say something out of line or to reveal something he would rather keep hidden.

"What if Kira stayed away from killing innocents?" he asked through his teeth.

Light shrugged as she took a sip of her drink. "I can't believe he will, to be perfectly honest. He's had a taste for it and he's killed people who oppose him, meaning he doesn't tolerate differing opinions. Just because someone is against you doesn't mean they're a bad person, they just don't believe the same you do, that's hardly a crime worthy of a death sentence."

Mikami sat back in his chair, releasing her hand and he simply stared at her. She could tell he was mulling over her words and they were not sitting well with him; she was more or less saying his so-called god was being impartial and monstrous. If that did not make him angry, then nothing would at this point.

"Light!" called a familiar and incredibly unwelcome voice. Light looked over Mikami's shoulder and saw Amane walking up with a pretty blonde on his arm.

"Hi Masumi," said Light politely, raising a hand in greeting. "Long time no see."

"You're telling me," chuckled Amane as he came up to their table. The blonde on his arm glared openly at Light but she ignored it, she had bigger issues to worry about beyond some girl being unnecessarily jealous. "How's school been?"

"Fine," said Light, glancing at Mikami only to find him glaring at Amane. "What are you doing?"

"Just escorting Chloe to lunch," replied Amane, looking at the girl. Light looked at her too and realized by her appearance and name that she was probably from Europe or the States. "She's a transfer student at the university, just arrived from the UK."

Light smiled politely. "A pleasure to meet you," she said in English, startling Chloe, who only held to Amane's arm tighter.

"She's here to learn Japanese," explained Amane, sounding intelligent for once in his life. He finally noticed Mikami and his shoulders tensed. "Who's your friend, Light?"

"This is Teru Mikami, my college mentor," replied Light quickly. "And Teru, this is Masumi Amane, the model."

"And amateur actor," supplied Amane proudly. "I've just landed my first acting role."

"Congratulations," said Light kindly, desperately wishing that the man would read the room and just leave.

Amane nodded as he again eyed Mikami. "So, is this your replacement then for Ryuzaki?"

Light's heart almost stopped. Why did he have to bring up L now?

"Who's Ryuzaki?" asked Mikami, glancing at Light as he gave his full attention to Amane.

Amane rolled his eyes. "Some loser Light met at a frat party a few months ago. Apparently he saved her from being harassed by a creep. Anyway, Light fell for him hard and was completely devastated when he ditched her just a little while later." He looked at Light. "Seriously, how could you fall for anyone as quickly as you did him? I mean you didn't even know him."

' _Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!'_  she chanted in her head as she sat there like a bump on a log, simply waiting for Amane to finish up. "Chalk it up to being drunk and naïve," she replied coldly, very displeased with this topic of conversation.

"That doesn't sound like you, Light," said Mikami just as coldly. Something told her she needed to tread very carefully now. "Amane, do you know what happened to this Ryuzaki character?"

Amane shrugged. "As far as I know, he's still gone. Unless Light somehow got in touch with him or him with her."

' _You're an idiot,'_  she thought, shaking her head. "I haven't heard from him since."

"There you go," said Amane briskly. "Now if you'll excuse us, we're going to be late to our reservations."

Amane led Chloe away from the café and down the street. When they were out of sight, Light looked back at Mikami, only to find him standing up.

"I was thinking we could go on that walk now," he said curtly. "My appetite has suddenly vanished."

So had Light's but she was sure it was for an entirely different reason. Gracefully she stood up and put her red jacket on, slowly fastening the golden buttons, before joining Mikami. Together they headed for a nearby park, one where L's bodyguard for Light would have a great view of the situation. She knew L was watching via the cameras on the street corners and nearby buildings as well as listening to the conversation thanks to a listening device she had been fitted with before, but it was not the same as having him with her. Having him closer would have been more of a comfort than even a gun at this point; she trusted him when he said he would not let her be harmed.

"Your friend seemed concerned about you," said Mikami as he turned them down a path without giving her the chance to suggest one.

They were starting to weave and wind through this park, going deeper into the small forest on the edge of it. When they planned it out, in every scenario they were walking down the garden paths. This certainly changed things and she was not whether or not it was for the betters. Still, she decided that it would be for the best if she continued on

Light shrugged as she observed her new surroundings. "He's a good friend at times but he can be a little dense."

"I'm surprised you weren't dating him," continued Mikami as he led her down another branch of the path.

"He wanted me to, but he's not my type," replied Light as they walked, a little nervous that they were heading away from the more open paths. This one was lined with tall trees that had multiple branches, she knew that whoever was following her would have a slightly more difficult time watching them.

"Good, I would hate to think you wasted yourself on someone like him," said Mikami as he came to a halt. They were in a clearing with a single tree in the middle. The tree was just a little taller than the others and had a thick trunk of while bark. "Light, I have a surprise for you, if you'll indulge me. It's behind the tree."

Light looked at the tree and then back. To say she was suspicious would be an understatement, but she was also curious as to what surprise he could have prepared. Slowly she walked over to the tree, a hand rested discreetly on her abdomen as if to shield the baby from the unseen dangers that awaited her. When she looked around the trunk, she saw a black notebook sitting in the dirt; there was silver writing across the top. She knelt down and picked it up, curious beyond words now.

"Death Note?" she said and then she heard something behind her. Before she could react, something hard struck the back of her head and she fell into darkness.

* * *

L watched with barely controlled jealousy as Mikami took Light's hand in his. He hated that he agreed to this assignment but what choice did they have? Introducing a new female into Mikami's life would only arouse suspicion and even if they were successful, that would not guarantee he would stop pursuing Light.

"She's good," said Matsuda as he watched Light and Mikami interact. "She's a really talented actress."

"Yes, she is," said L through tight lips, trying to ignore the way Light leaned in just a little closer to Mikami as she spoke to him. They were discussing Light's personal tragedy and slowly moving in the direction of Kira. Light could certainly work an audience.

"Do you think he'll crack?" asked Matsuda as he reached for a listening device, only to have his hand slapped by L. "What was that for?!"

"This is not your current task," said L shortly, he had very little patience for incompetence and stupidity today. "Resume looking for Beyond before I make you."

"Ryuzaki, that's hardly necessary," snapped Naomi, her eyes rimmed with black circles. They had spent the last three evenings hammering out this plan to the very last contingency plan and none of them, save for Light, had slept much. "We're all as concerned as you are about Light and taking it out on Matsui won't solve anything."

"It's okay," said Matsuda quickly and he sounded sincere. "L's right, we need to focus on finding Beyond before he has the chance to run once we have Mikami in custody. I'll have Near look again for any of his known aliases while I check police reports for any murders unrelated to Kira. Maki, why don't you get some rest? I'll come get you if we learn anything new."

Naomi was hesitant but she understood the need for at least one of them to be well rested, so she stood up and headed into her room, but she left the door open just a crack in case she missed something urgent. Her exit seemed to defuse the rapidly brewing tension in the room, so L resumed his post of watching over Light. In the time it took to argue with Matsuda and Naomi, he could tell he missed a significant piece of the conversation, as Mikami was no longer looking as relaxed as before. This was Light's plan, to get him angry enough to slip up and reveal something incriminating. They spoke about Kira killing innocents and L smirked at how quickly Mikami's demeanor changed; he was not as talented as Light was about concealing his true self and cracks were starting to show in his mask.

Light was just moving in for the kill when her old friend Amane showed up with a date. L frowned as he watched the man greet Light, as if one man in this situation was not bad enough. He listened for a few moments as Amane prattled on about the girl he was with—he smiled when Light spoke to her in flawless English—and then his name was dropped like a bomb into the conversation. He watched as Light paled slightly and he prayed no one else noticed. L looked at Mikami and knew he knew that Light was not having a positive reaction to the situation. He hoped the man would think she just did not want to hear her ex-lover's name. Granted they were now boyfriend and girlfriend but that was beside the point.

Amane mentioned the fight between L and Mikami and he saw something glint in Mikami's eyes, it almost could be considered as recognition. This was not good. L went to press the button that would allow him to speak to Light but he stayed his hand, they needed Mikami and Light had not given any signals of distress, so he decided to let this continue. Instead he fired off a quick text to Aiber and Wedy, instructing them to prepare to move in soon.

Not too long after, Amane and his date left, and Mikami and Light headed for the park nearby. L breathed a small sigh of relief, this date from hell was almost over and soon he would have Light back in his arms where she belonged. That relief was just as suddenly washed away when he saw Mikami direct Light down a path they were not prepared for; they were headed into the forest, rather than the flower garden like they planned. L's heart hammered in his chest when he lost sight of Light and he again reached for the button, only to again stop himself when heard Mikami say something about a surprise for Light.

This caught him by surprise and he waited on pins and needles as he listened to Light walk on the forest floor. He might not be able to see her, but he was glad he could still hear.

Moments later he heard her say, "Death Note?"

The words and their implication barely had time to settle into L's mind when he heard a cry from Light and then what sounded like a heavy sack hitting the floor. He felt his heart drop to the center of the Earth. He knew that sound and he knew it all too well. Light had been knocked unconscious.

L reached for his cellphone and dialed Wedy. There was nothing on Wedy's end except for the dial tone. Panic coursed through L as he dialed Aiber. He was greeted by the dial tone as well. Finally he dialed Watari, whom was supposed to be Light's ride. He took it as a good sign that he did not get the dial tone right away but was shaken to the core when he got Watari's answering machine.

"It's m-me, c-call m-me back," stammered L before he hung up the phone.

Whatever was going on, Beyond likely had a hand in it. There was no way Mikami could incapacitate Wedy, Aiber, Watari, and Light without L seeing or hearing. No, this was Beyond's work and he was going to make his former heir pay dearly.


	17. Chapter 17

L was on edge. There had been no contact from Light, Aiber, Wedy, or Watari in the last hour and it was driving him crazy. He was tempted to flee the safety of the hotel and search for them himself, but given the circumstances, he listened to Naomi and sent Matsuda instead. Of course, this was after several minutes of arguing and ensuring the detective had a detailed description of Aiber and Wedy, two people none on the Task Force had met. Now he was sitting in front of a monitor waiting for answers to questions he had answered for himself the moment he heard Light be knocked out.

Beyond was behind all of this. There was no doubt about that and if he had his way, he was going to send Beyond straight to his execution and bypass a trial entirely. He was not going to be very forgiving to his former protégé this time around and he was going to make damn sure he never got another opportunity to murder anyone again.

"You're going to hurt yourself," said Naomi as she sat down in the chair beside him. He glared at her for that, she was sitting in Light's chair. Naomi hardly seemed to care as she reached across and pulled L's thumb from between his teeth. It was only then that he realized how hard he had been biting.

"I see," he said as he stared at the imprinted flesh. His teeth seemed rather sharp for someone who did not cut them regularly on protein and vegetables. "Any news from Matsui?"

Naomi shook her head as she looked at the blank monitor in front of L. She did not have the heart to tell him there was nothing on it, she could tell this situation was weighing on him heavily and nearly broke him. "No," she said, letting the word hang between them for a moment. "Ryuzaki, why did you take his name?"

"Irony, I suppose," he replied with a shrug. "Or as a way to remember him; I thought he would be executed before now. I really can't remember anymore."

Naomi did not believe that for a second, but she did not press the issue. It was clear L did not want to remember why he took the murderer's name. "Why do you think he took Light?"

"I don't think he did," said L as he brought his thumb back up to his mouth. "I think Mikami took her but Beyond gave him the opportunity." He bit slightly on the tip of his thumb. "Then again, it would be risky to abduct anyone in a place like that park without being spotted, even as secluded as they were. Perhaps Mikami did it on a whim or . . . " He trailed off as he mentally replayed Light's conversation with Mikami. Nothing in what was said indicated a reason for possibly abducting Light, at least not until Amane . . .

"Oh shit," he said, jerking his head up, startling Naomi in the process. "He did it because he's working with Kira."

Naomi stared at him incredulously and her heart began pounding. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Amane," said L as if it should explain everything. It did to him, at least. "Amane mentioned my alias, Ryuzaki. The same alias that Beyond used in Los Angeles. "

"To be fair, he said he was you," commented Naomi but L brushed it off.

"Mikami must have recognized the name," continued L as if Naomi had not opened her mouth. "And . . . I'm such an idiot!"

"Why? What now?" Naomi practically demanded.

L shook his head and chuckled. Looking back on that night, it was obvious it was all a trap, one he thought he set for Mikami but one he inadvertently sprang on himself. "The day I met Light, we were attending a party and Mikami was there as well. He saw my face. He knew who was with Light that night. When Amane mentioned the party and called me Ryuzaki, his mind likely went to that night and he remembered me." He rubbed his hand over his face as his laughter continued to bubble up. "Given now that I'm sure he's working with Beyond, he must know the story of how Beyond came to his current state and that means he knows Beyond's former alias. It doesn't take a genius to figure this one out."

"He knows you're L," finished Naomi and L nodded. "He probably knows that yo—Beyond impersonated you and if they've met, he has a general idea as to what you look like. And it was confirmed for him at that party. Couple that with the alias you used and . . . you're right, you are an idiot."

"And Light was the bait," said L as he calmed down slightly. "Beyond probably knows that Mikami has a slight obsession with her and given her family background, he probably thought I would be at least aware of her existence and he likely knew I was investigating or at least suspecting Mikami. Light was used to draw us all together for one final battle."

Naomi looked bewildered. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. How was it possible for someone like L to be completely outwitted by someone like Beyond? She knew Beyond and she knew L; L was far superior to Beyond in almost every way imaginable except, perhaps, theatrics but . . . wait, that was all this was. It was a huge production. The players, the stage, the audience, and the script; it was all there and they were too blind to see it.

L, Beyond, Mikami, and Light were the players. L was the hero, Beyond and Mikami were the villain under the guise of a man named Kira, and Light was the neutral character, a pawn to be swayed to either side. The stage was the world that much was obvious and the audience was the world's population. The script was the deaths and turns this investigation took during its course. She could even point out the acts now that she thought about it. Act one started with the first deaths caused by Kira, enough to get L's attention, and ended when L, Mikami, and Light all met at that party. Act two started with the deaths of the FBI agents and ended with the hospital. Now they were in the midst of act three, which started when Light became Deneuve, and would end with a death.

"It's like a play," she said, only realizing too late that the words had slipped out of her mouth.

L immediately looked at her, eyes wide with surprise. "You're right," he said, astounded that she came to the conclusion before he did. He shook his head in defeat. "It seems Beyond has taken the saying, 'The world is a stage and we're all actors' to heart and turned the world into his stage and the population into his audience. The rest of us were just his players, following a script we were not even aware existed."

Silence dragged between them as they commiserated on their conclusion. It did not make the situation easier, in fact it made them both more apprehensive as they sat there trying to divine what Beyond was planning next. They were so engrossed in their thoughts that when Naomi's cellphone went off, they both nearly jumped out of their seats. Naomi fumbled for her phone for a few moments; it fell out of her hands repeatedly before she was able to press the talk button.

"Hello?" asked Naomi, clutching her heart. "Matsui! Oh thank god, we were worried."

' _No, that was only you,'_  thought L as he strained to hear any news regarding his associates and Light.

Naomi's face was passive as she listened to Matsuda and L cursed her poker face. This was not the time to conceal information from him, now was the time to share everything. L reached over and plucked Naomi's cellphone from her hand, she gaped at him but he paid her little attention as he turned on the speakerphone.

"  _. . . dried blood on the club,_ " said Matsuda and L frowned. It would seem he missed something rather important.

"Matsui, this is Ryuzaki," said L sternly. "Repeat what you just said."

" _Oh, hi, Ryuzaki,_ " said Matsuda, sounding flustered and a little ashamed. " _I was just saying that I found a pipe with dried blood on it under a tree near the entrance of the path Light went down. I found Aiber and Wedy's cellphones with it but I haven't found them. I haven't looked for Watari's car yet but I'll head over there the moment I'm done here._ "

L sat back and chewed on his thumb for a few moments. All of their cellphones were left behind but they themselves were missing. How strange. "Did you collect the cellphones? If so, please bring them back and I will have Matt hack them to see if they contain any information."

" _Okay, Ryuzaki,_ " said Matsuda over the sound of wind blowing. " _I'm going down the path now. So far no sign of Light or Mikami, or any of the others._ "

' _Of course not, the attack happened further in,'_  thought L bitterly as he listened to Matsuda's play-by-play of his walk down the path. L tried to imagine it as if he were there, walking down the dusty trail, avoiding low hanging tree branches and trying to keep up with Light, who would undoubtedly be a faster walker than he. It made him smile a little inside to think of Light and he walking down a lane in a forest, holding hands as they spoke about nothing and enjoyed each other's company. It then stung him deeply when he realized that he never took Light on a proper date before now. The moment he found her, he would quickly remedy that.

" _Oh no,_ " said Matsuda and those words brought L right back into the moment. " _Ryuzaki . . . there's nothing here._ "

"What?" L demanded, his mind racing with all of the different scenarios.

" _I mean there's no one here,_ " he said, sounding hesitant. " _There isn't even a sign that anyone was here at all. What do you think it means?_ "

"It means this was well planned," snapped L, ignoring the pointed way Naomi was looking at him. "Do you see anything at all, anything that might hint to an abduction?"

There was a pause. " _No Ryuzaki, I'm sorry,_ " said Matsuda, sighing heavily.

L nearly snapped the phone in half after Matsuda uttered those horrendous words. "Matsui, I want you to get off this line and immediately search the surrounding area for the others," said L, his throat constricted and words steady. "When that's done, call Aizawa and report Light missing. I want you to come back here with the cellphones and we'll begin working on locating Light. Do you understand?"

" _Yes, Ryuzaki,_ " said Matsuda and moments later, the line went dead.

L sat back in his chair, the phone fell from between his fingers and to the ground. He hardly cared. All that mattered now was finding Light. Well, her and their child. L felt completely dejected and useless. The one thing he promised Light was he would not allow her to be harmed or killed by Kira. It would seem in that one area, he failed spectacularly. Now he was sitting in a hotel room, wondering where his beloved was and if she was safe. It was going to be a very long day.

* * *

When Light came to, her first thought was her head felt like it was split open. Her second was she was going to murder Mikami when she got a chance. She also thought that she might have gone blind, the pitch black of her surroundings hid her location. It took her a few moments to realize that she was bound at her wrists and ankles by a rough piece of rope and there was a gag around her mouth. Tentatively she reached her hands up and pulled away the gag. The moment her mouth was free she took a deep breath and nearly threw up; she knew it was not from morning sickness, that was already starting to ebb away, so it could only mean she was likely concussed.

"This is not good," she muttered quietly. Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth and the rest of her mouth felt like it was full of cotton balls. Yes, she was going to need to see a doctor after this.

"Idiot," she heard someone say and she looked around the darkness, searching for the source. All she could decipher was it was male and somewhere nearby.

"She knows him!" she heard someone else say and it sounded like Mikami.

"So what?" snapped the other man. "You saw him recently as well and you know his name, if you want to kill him then just kill him already! We don't need her."

"She might know people who work for him," argued Mikami fiercely. "If we can get that out of her, then we'll be able to track him down and kill the entire Task Force, maybe even Denueve while we're at it."

The other man chuckled and it sounded vaguely familiar. "I suppose that's always possible, but do you think she'll be happy to work with us, with Kira, when she figures out we targeted her family deliberately?"

Light's heart skipped a beat and she felt tears burn her eyes. The attack against her family was not random, as they were led to believe, it was an assassination. One designed to shake her faith in L and his abilities and establish ties with Kira. Based on what she told Mikami not that long ago, it was no wonder he thought they had succeeded.

"We need her, Ryuzaki," said Mikami and Light tensed.

"No, you need her," snarled Ryuzaki. "I don't understand your sick fascination with the girl, but if it compromises us or what we're trying to accomplish, I won't hesitate to kill her or you. Do you understand?"

"You can't kill her!" shouted Mikami followed by the sound of a sharp slap.

"I can and I just might for that!" shouted Ryuzaki and he sounded very angry. Light wondered where they were if they could yell like that. "You don't seem to understand who is in charge, Teru. I'll give you a hint: It isn't you. Now, shut up and get the hell out of here. You've spent too much time here already."

"Don't hurt her," warned Mikami and moments later, Light heard what sounded like a door slamming shut. Her body jumped at the sound and she momentarily wished that Mikami was still here, at least then she would know someone would keep her safe until L could arrive.

She barely had any time to brace herself or think more on what she overheard before the darkness that enveloped her was chased away by the sudden intrusion of a bright light and a shadowy figure. Light blinked a few times, clearing away the spots in her eyes before they were able to focus on the person standing in front of her. When she saw him, she almost cried out; the man greatly resembled L, almost to a frightening degree. His hair was black and wild, his skin was ghostly pale, and his frame was lean. Light looked a little closer at his face and realized that most of his face was covered in thick makeup, likely to make him look more like L. Her only indicator that this man was not her detective, were his eyes. L's were grey and kind, these eyes staring down at her were a rich burgundy and looked ready to devour her soul.

"Hello there," he said, his voice dripping with false kindness. The smile stretched across his face was genuinely terrifying, the skin around his mouth pulled strangely and almost looked like it was made of plastic. "It's nice to finally meet you, Light Yagami. I'm Beyond Birthday."


	18. Chapter 18

"Let me get this straight," said Aizawa, taxing every bit of control and patience he possessed at the moment. "You sent Light, an inexperienced and vulnerable girl, to meet with a potential serial killer in the hopes that he might slip up and reveal something only for her to get kidnapped by said suspect."

"Yes," said L, equally as impatient. When he instructed Matsuda to call Aizawa, he did not intend for the new Chief of the NPA to barge into his hotel room and start demanding answers. He would address Matsuda's weak spine at a later date. "And she is not vulnerable, Mr. Aizawa, she's perfectly capable of taking care of herself. That's likely why Mikami blitzed her."

Aizawa rolled his eyes. "I don't care, the point is you shouldn't have sent her out in the first place! You don't even have authority over this case anymore, Ryuzaki. As I recall, you rolled over for Kira and now Denueve is trying to pick up the pieces of your mess."

"That's probably the most accurate summary of our current situation," said L off-handedly, which only served to irritate Aizawa further.

"Now tell me why you sent Light into the field," snapped Aizawa, his head throbbing with the stirrings of a migraine. He did not used to get them, but since his time working with L, they seemed to happen almost daily.

L shrugged. "Because I couldn't talk her out of it. This was what she wanted, Mr. Aizawa, and who am I to tell the new head of the Task Force that she is not permitted to do as she likes with her own case?"

Matsuda and Naomi, whom were watching this volley of verbal exchange silently, both balked when L implied heavily that Light was Deneuve. They thought it was supposed to stay a secret that only the select few on the Task Force were to know. They both looked at each other and silently asked each other what L was playing at.

"Wait a minute!" thundered Aizawa once L's words sank in. "Is Light Deneuve?"

L considered briefly that he underestimated Aizawa in the past. "Well, technically no."

"What do you mean?" demanded Aizawa, obviously getting to the end of his rope.

"I mean she is not technically Denueve," replied L calmly, inwardly enjoying this exchange. "I am Denueve but I gave her the title and power as a means of giving Light what she wanted."

Aizawa glared at him. "And what was that exactly?"

"To stop Kira and avenge her family," replied L with a shallow shrug. "Not to mention she will now be the most respected and powerful detective in the world now that Kira destroyed L. It's exactly what she wanted and I gave it to her with very little effort."

The newly appointed chief appeared ready to murder the detective but to everyone's amazement, he remained in place and fixed L with a harsh glare. "If she dies, it's on you."

"I'm well aware of that," said L flatly. Yes, he was much too aware of the fact that if this went south, then he would lose the love of his life and their child. The stakes were higher than ever for him and he was not honestly sure he could succeed now that he was emotionally compromised. "Now how are you going to help us get her back?"

This took Aizawa by surprise. When he came bursting in here, he frankly was expecting hostility and animosity, not this congenial atmosphere. It was as if L had been waiting for him to return and was wasting little time with his newly acquired resource. It irritated him but he decided for the sake of Light's life, he was willing to set it aside for right now. He was going to save his friend's daughter if it killed him and it very well might.

"Yes," said Aizawa sternly. "I'll do whatever I can for you, Ryuzaki, but it won't be much. After what happened to the Chief, the NPA has moved away from the Kira case out of fear. Right now, it's just Ide and myself on the case now, and that's behind closed doors."

"I find the best work is done behind closed doors," said L as he brought a thumb to his lips. "Aizawa, I want you to go back to the police station and wait for a phone call. More than likely Kira is going to get in contact with you in the next few hours and try to arrange for Light's ransom. He'll prey on your loyalty to the Chief and your hatred of me, so let him, otherwise he'll know that we're working together again."

"Why should I hide that?" asked Aizawa.

"Because," said L patiently, maybe he was right about underestimating him after all, "anyone working with me is a target, made evident by what happened to Watari and the others earlier today. I don't want anyone else injured or killed in this case, unless it's Kira and his associates, of course." He rolled his shoulders, trying to release the tension that was settled there but to no avail. Nothing short of Light's touch would relax him even slightly. "Cooperate fully with Kira and his demands, do nothing that might risk Light's safety, even if it means betraying me, do you understand? Light is the priority here, not me. I'm expendable now."

Aizawa nodded while Matsuda loudly gasped and Naomi gave him a stony look. He hardly cared. The stakes were higher than they ever were and this was going to be what ensured Light and their child lived. He would give his life for hers freely and gladly and without the slightest hint of hesitation.

"Ryuzaki, you can't be serious!" shouted Matsuda as he stood up from his seat. "There's no way we're going to let you be killed, we'll figure out—"

"That is what Kira wants!" snapped L, his emotions getting the better of his mind. "He's counting on you to do something stupid, like trying to save my life and Light's. If he has his way, we'll all be killed and that is something I cannot allow. Too many people have lost their lives in this battle and I'm not about to let anyone else die in my place. This is going to end, one way or another."

* * *

Light felt sick. What she could not tell was if it was from her concussion, her pregnancy, or the fact she was sitting at a dining room table with Kira watching him eat strawberry jam straight from the jar. She decided to go with a mix of all three as her concentration was shot thanks to the blow to her head.

"You should eat," said Beyond as he spooned a large bite of jam. He glanced at the rope binding her to the chair, preventing her hands from moving and he smirked at his joke. "It'll help with your recovery."

"I'm not really hungry," said Light through slightly grit teeth as she moved to check the strength of her bindings. She wanted nothing more than to ram the spoon through his eye and force feed him his jam until he drowned it in. These fantasies served to keep her from breaking completely at the helplessness of her situation. She had been here in this tiny apartment with Beyond for almost twenty-four hours and in that time, had learned nothing new. This was the first opportunity she had to actually speak to Beyond after their initial meeting and she was going to make the best of it. "Why do you look like him?"

"Like who?" asked Beyond around his bite. He was sitting perched on a wooden chair much like how L sat. It unnerved her to see his mannerisms echoed so well by this imposter.

"Like L," she said calmly. She saw no harm in admitting that she knew L, after all that was the only thing keeping her alive at the moment. The more she reiterated the fact, the more secure her life became.

Beyond smiled, revealing jam smeared on his slightly yellowed teeth. She discreetly observed the strange way his skin pulled around his mouth and down his neck. "I look like him because I wanted to be him. I thought if I looked enough like him, I would act like him enough to become the new L."

"Interesting logic," said Light calmly. She thought it sounded insane and that it only served to reflect the madness of this killer, but she kept that firmly to herself. Calling him crazy would only serve to anger or flatter him and she did not want to do either at this stage. "Would you say you were on his level?"

Beyond smirked. "I'm above him, my dear. I've been able to orchestrate this whole Kira business and stayed two steps ahead of him this entire time. He wasn't even smart enough to figure out how I killed or where I was." He snickered as he put the empty jar to the side. "I've been under his nose this entire time and he didn't even know it."

Light considered this and decided it was time to bluff. "I wouldn't say you were two steps ahead of him, maybe half a step."

The serial killer paused in his reveling. "What do you mean, dear?"

"You slipped up," she stated simply enough. "When you destroyed that hospital you let it known that your location was close enough that you were able to plant the explosives. Ever since, L has been narrowing down your possible locations and this is one of them. He's been sending undercover investigators to each location." This was a huge gamble but if it unsettled Beyond enough, he might slip and give himself away to L. "In fact, he planned on sending someone here either today or tomorrow."

Beyond said nothing, his burgundy eyes on the young woman as he looked for any indication that she was lying to him. She met his gaze easily and he could not find a trace of dishonesty in them or anywhere else. "I see," he said slowly. There was a possibility that the girl was lying but on the off chance she was not, then this might be over before he even got the chance to make L squirm. "And why are you telling me this? Surely it would've been to your benefit to keep this bit of information to yourself."

"Perhaps, if I were on L's side," she said with the slightest hint of a smirk. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it from a position of power. Her indifference and apparent distrust of L might be enough to throw him off balance. He must be expecting a huge L supporter in her and to give him something contradictory sounded appealing. "But given the circumstances, I hardly consider him an ally. Like you said, he wasn't smart enough to figure out where you were or how you killed. He wasn't even clever enough to predict which hospital you planned on attacking and it cost me my family." She looked down at her plate, eyes misting over as she thought about her family. "I admit that I believed he would save the day and stop Kira, but after working with him, I realized that it would never happen. He might have been able to keep up with you at times, but the times he could not, when you were half a step ahead, broke my confidence in him."

Beyond smiled broadly. His plan worked after all. "So do you support Kira?"

Light shrugged. "Many would believe that if I don't support L, I support Kira by default but it's a bit more complicated than that."

"How so?" asked Beyond, cocking his head slightly. It had been a while since he had any stimulating conversation.

"Well," she said, looking thoughtful, "I can't exactly agree with all of those people that were killed at the beginning of Kira's reign. They were innocent and didn't deserve their fate. Not to mention what you did to my family doesn't exactly make me fond of you. The only part of all this I might be able to agree with is the killing of criminals. Personally, I always thought there were certain individuals who didn't need to continue living; their crimes were enough to forfeit their life."

Beyond sat back in his chair, watching Light closely. She disagreed with killing innocents but was fine with the deaths of criminals? What a strange sentiment from a policeman's daughter. "So if Kira had just stuck to killing criminals, you would've been in favor of him?"

Light refrained from cocking an eyebrow. Why was he referring to himself in the third person? "Perhaps, of course this is all hypothetical," she said with a slight shrug, the best she could manage with her restraints. "Which ones did you kill? The innocents or the criminals?"

Beyond looked away from her and at the empty jar on the table. This was strange. Light thought he would be the kind of killer to brag about his kills and name off each one with little encouragement.

"How did you even get involved with him?" asked Light after the silence dragged out for a full minute, she forced herself to lean in closer to Beyond. He moved away from her slightly. "L said you were in prison when the murders started."

"And I was," replied Beyond, looking deeply into the honey-caramel eyes of his captive. "Criminals were dropping dead every hour of every day and I was just counting down the minutes until I was unceremoniously executed. Then I received a letter."

' _This is it,'_  thought Light as she adjusted herself in her seat to be just that much closer to Beyond. The man might be a mass murderer and a psychopath, but he was like any other man. "Mikami wrote to you. He wanted your help against L because he knew they would eventually cross paths and you were one of the few criminals left alive; the others must've been from past cases and he wrote each of you asking for help. You were the only one that replied because you know L better than anyone."

Beyond was starting to see why Mikami like this girl and why she was on L's radar from the beginning. "That's right. Together we came up with a plan to smuggle me out of that pit."

"Was murdering the coroner part of it?" asked Light, a slight edge to her voice and Beyond sat up a little straighter.

"Yes, considering he was going to back out of the deal," snapped Beyond. "He was weak and an easy target, that's why Mikami paid him to help. He had access to the drugs we needed to make it look like I died during a wave of heart attacks and after I was down there—fuck, why am I even telling you any this? You don't care, you just want to see if you can pick me apart and leave me a puddle of goo like you do all men."

Light glared at him. "I don't do that!"

Beyond snorted. "What about Mikami?"

"I didn't even know him until a few weeks ago," she retorted, annoyed. "Whatever the hell is wrong with him has nothing to do with me."

"Well, I can't disagree with you on that," chuckled Beyond as he looked at the uneaten sandwich he prepared for her. She did need to eat. "Listen, I can't have you starving because Mikami will bitch at me and I really don't want to hear it. Would you mind me feeding you?"

Light wanted to say no, to reject the idea but her growling stomach and the slight fluttering in her belly made her comply. She needed to keep her strength up for her escape and for her child.

Beyond picked up a triangle and put it a few inches away from Light's mouth. She leaned forward and took a bite. The sandwich had too much jam on it compared to peanut butter but she was not about to complain, after all he did not have to make her this food to begin with. She chewed and swallowed quickly before she continued eating. The whole time her eyes never left Beyond's and his never left hers. It was a strange sort of stand off.

When she reached the end of the sandwich, they both looked down at the small piece that rested between Beyond's index finger and thumb. With a slight sigh, he pushed it against her lips and she opened her mouth to take in the last morsel. Her lips brushed across the pad of his thumb and a strange heat traveled up the digit, to his arm, then down his spine. Beyond wondered about what just happened. This never happened before, even when Naomi touched him. He reached out and cupped Light's cheek, curious if this much contact would produce the same effect. Sure enough, the warmth spread down his hand and then his arm and then down his spine. She was like living fire. What was this?

Light pulled away and the warmth left just as suddenly as it appeared.

"What wasted potential," she said forlornly as she looked at Beyond, seemingly looking right into his soul. She wanted to provoke him, to see if she could make him react and see what it took to get a reaction. "It's incredibly sad that you chose this path, Beyond. You could've been great, perhaps even better than L."

The serial killer was confused. Why would she act like she was on his side and then defend  _him_? It was too much for him. He reached over and slapped Light as hard as he could. He did not even think of her head injury when he did.

"Bitch," he spat as he jumped up from his seat. Light was still in the process of reeling from the attack when he grabbed her head and forced her to look at him. There was wildness in his gaze, an unbridled mania that was incredibly dangerous. "I'll make you see. I'll make you all see what I am and what he is."

Acting on impulse, Beyond pressed his mouth against hers in a bruising kiss. Light did not kiss him back but he hardly cared, he could feel her warmth again. It traveled from his mouth to his throat and down into his body, spreading like flames. God, whatever this was, it was delicious.

It took only one touch for him to be addicted, just like it took only one conversation for him to be just as entranced with her as Mikami. He wanted her for himself. He wanted her warmth to only be for him. He wanted her words to only be for his ears. He wanted to drown himself in her and have her drown in him. He wanted to break her and treasure her. He wanted to kill her and live with her. He was disgusted and pleased with himself as he stood there, kissing this girl he hardly knew anything about but wanted to possess more than anything. It was contradictory and clear all at the same time.

"I'll make you mine," he declared quietly as he pulled away.

Light stared up into his almost red eyes and a trickle of fear worked its way down her spine. She finally realized how dangerous a game she was playing.

Beyond stared at her, he could see the slight traces of fear in her eyes and it only served to irritate him further. Everyone looked at him like he was a freak, like he was something to fear, why would she be any different. With little care, he moved his hands to the rope binding her arms and pulled her off the chair, then dragged her across the floor to the closet. He opened the door and dragged her in. He managed to slam the door shut before the adrenaline wore off and his legs gave out. He did not even realize he was so worked up. What was wrong with him? Why was this happening? Had he been drugged?

Beyond sat against the door as he tried to regulate his breathing. He was practically panting at this point, like he just ran a marathon. That warmth from Light's touch lingered on his spine and in his chest, it was all engulfing and he desperately wanted to forget and get rid of it. He wanted to pretend that they had not spoken, that their sparring had sent a thrill through him for the first time in years. He just wanted her to go away.


	19. Chapter 19

Beyond was confused. Yes, that was the word for this jumbling of feelings and thoughts that tumbled in his mind. He desperately wanted to hurt L, to break him physically and mentally, and he wanted it done now; at the same time he wanted to let his enemy live for as long as possible to watch everything he cared about and worked so hard to protect, crumble and burn. Then there was the matter of Light, his unwitting captive and heart's desire. The girl was different, she was an enigma in and of herself. Charming yet reserved, passionate yet restrained, intelligent yet so very naïve. He saw a great deal of himself in her and it was driving him to madness.

He thought back to their conversation, when she spoke in ways he found himself trying to follow and outmaneuver, it was thrilling and exhausting and he was captivated. The last time he was so stimulated in a conversation was the one and only time he and L spoke to each other in person. He remembered trying to keep up with L's words and implications but ultimately failing; Light was almost that good, but he had practiced since then and could keep up. He wondered what Light would be like if she had attended Wammy's.

" _What wasted potential."_

Her words stung him as sharply as if she slapped him. Then he slapped her, hard. Then he kissed her, harder. He ran a finger over his lips, recalling how soft and warm Light's were against his and the fire that spread from her touch.

" _It's incredibly sad that you chose this path, Beyond. You could've been great, perhaps even better than L."_

Why did she have to say something like that? Why did even she have to remind him of his failings when she just praised him for staying ahead of L? Everything was going so well until she said that. He traced his jaw, feeling the burned skin beneath the makeup. Light's touch had been warmer and brighter than even the fire that engulfed him that day, and it was far more dangerous.

"You need to get rid of her," said his reflection. His eyes were red and his scars more prominent. "She's just like everyone else."

"I know that," snapped Beyond, eyes burgundy and face healed. He looked at the porcelain basin. "I don't want to hurt her."

"Why, because you kissed her?" mocked his reflection. "She's just manipulating you, trying to get on your good side. She doesn't care about you. In fact, she probably hates you, just like Alex did and Naomi and L. They all hated you but you were too stupid to see it."

Beyond's hands clenched into a fist. "Shut up!"

His reflection laughed, an ugly laugh that reminded him of the  _shinigami_  that hung around like a bad omen. "You know it's true, Adam, just stop denying it."

He had enough and slammed his fist into the mirror, shattering the reflective surface into dark rivers, like the ones that ran through his soul. Beyond pulled his fist away and looked at the damage done, it was horrific and beautiful. He saw the  _shinigami_  Ryuk hovering behind him, his big yellow and red eyes locked on the shattered mirror and his jagged smile hidden behind a thin line. Apparently he did not like violence as much as he claimed.

"What do you want?" snapped Beyond without turning around.

"Nothing," said Ryuk, putting up a hand in defense. "I was just going to ask about apples, but I can see this isn't a good time."

Beyond chuckled, it sounded surprisingly calm given the outburst just moments ago. "Of course. Mikami brought some fresh ones a couple of days ago; they're in the fridge beside my jam."

"Thanks," said Ryuk, phasing through the wall.

Beyond stared at the spot where the creature disappeared, and then felt something like pins pricking his skin. He looked down at his fist and saw a steady trickle of blood flowing from several cuts. It hardly bothered him, he was used to scars and pain and blood. He reached over and tore off a long strip of toilet paper, then wrapped it tightly around the injury. It would do until it scabbed over or so experience told him.

He left the bathroom and headed for the living room. His eyes fell on the closet door the moment he entered and he swallowed hard; just beyond that door was Light. He had kept her locked in there since yesterday evening, and now it was mid-afternoon. Beyond licked his lips as he slowly walked over to the door. He stood there looking at the piece of wood as if waiting for it to open on its own or to morph into a creature that would devour him.

' _This is stupid,'_  he thought as he reached for the doorknob and flung the door open. He immediately saw Light sitting in the corner he left her in. Light barely flinched when she saw him, in fact she seemed indifferent to his presence. Beyond frowned a little.

"Hello," he said pleasantly as he knelt in front of her. "How are you doing this afternoon?"

Light rolled her eyes. "Fine all things considered. What about you?"

"Peachy," he replied flatly.

"What do you want?" she asked, her tone challenging and his back immediately went up. She definitely did not act like a scared hostage. How perfectly Light.

"To check on you," he said with a shrug and then he chuckled. "No one came looking for you last night, sweetheart, so I guess you're stuck with me for a little longer."

"What about Mikami?" she asked but she did not sound like she expected much from the answer.

"He comes and goes as he pleases," said Beyond as he reached forward and grabbed the rope.

Light moved back. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I was going to take you to the bathroom, but now I might just bring you a bucket instead," snapped Beyond as his hands found the bindings. She sighed and willingly let him pull her, she even helped, although it was hardly what he considered putting in an effort when all she did was shuffle forward. He pulled her up into a standing position, noting that she was about as steady as a newborn colt. "Can you walk?"

"Not well," she said, her legs were already starting to shake from just standing there.

Beyond nodded and swiftly picked her up bridal style in his arms. She went stiff in his embrace while the heat from yesterday burned him once again, reigniting that feeling that did not completely die like he wanted. He was careful not to jar her injuries further as he went into the bathroom.

When they entered, he gently placed her on the toilet and began untying her restraints. "Sit here, and don't do anything stupid. I'll get a shower going."

"Why?" she asked, her tone accusing.

Beyond rolled his eyes. "Would you rather sit in that closet and smell?"

Light said nothing in response and he smirked, triumphant. The rope came away and he placed it on the back of the toilet.

"Are you going to watch me?" she asked after a few moments, her words coated with bitterness and slight disgust.

"Trust me, I don't want to see you naked," he replied and even as he said it, the words felt twisted on his tongue, like he was lying.

He stood up abruptly and went over to the shower; thanks to Mikami's diligent cleaning efforts, it was not as horrendous as when he first moved in, but it was still a far cry from the sort of pristine he was sure Light was used to. Still, the water would be hot and there were some toiletries in there so she could hardly complain. He turned on the tap with his good hand and switched it to the shower setting as he waited for the water to warm up. His eyes briefly flickered to his injuries, the toilet paper was soaked with his blood and he would need to replace it soon.

"What happened?" she asked, her honey-caramel eyes resting on his hand.

Beyond forced himself not to look at the broken mirror. "An accident."

"Does it have anything to do with that?" asked Light, her eyes going to the mirror.

"Maybe," he replied, suddenly ashamed of his outburst earlier.

Light sighed, possibly about to regret what she was about to do. "Do you have a First Aid kit?"

Beyond eyed her suspiciously. "Why?"

It was her turn to roll her eyes. "Well, I was going to bandage your hand but I guess I'll just let it get infected."

He almost smiled at the retort. She seemed to enjoy giving as well as she got. "And why do you care? I'm your captor remember? You shouldn't care if I get an infection, you should be cheering it on."

Light glared at him. "And if I did that, then you wouldn't be able to carry me and I'd be stuck in that closet until someone decided to open it. Now get me the kit and a cloth and sit down in front of me and shut up."

God did he want to argue. It would have been so easy and so much fun. He needed that thrill again, of trying to guess what was going to come out of her mouth next and to follow her line of thinking. It felt so good the other day. Instead, he complied with her request and retrieved the First Aid kit from its place under the sink and a threadbare hand towel from the rung and handed both to her before getting on his knees at her feet.

Light watched him closely as he moved, only blinking once he was at her feet. Carefully, she took his injured hand in hers and removed the paper; he winced as she did and watched her face as the bloody mess was revealed. She did not seem disgusted by the sight, instead she seemed indifferent and she placed his hand in her lap while she turned on the sink and got the towel wet. She wrung it out and then turned back to his hand, taking it once again in hers and began wiping away the dried and tacky blood from his knuckles. It stung and he winced a few times as she cleaned the wound but after a while it hardly bothered him, Light's warmth banished the pain.

Silence stretched out between them as Light worked on Beyond's hand while the room filled with steam. He watched from the floor as condensation formed on the mirror and trickled down the shiny surface, catching on the broken pieces and disappearing into the facets. It became like a game to him, to cheer on the drops to see if they passed the madness. It reminded him of those rainy days in England, when he would sit in his room and watch the drops run down the window. He glanced at Light, who was intently focused on her task, and wondered how she would look in London, with the grey sky as a backdrop.

Finally Light was finished cleaning the wound and used the hem of her shirt to pat his hand dry. Beyond took the opportunity to glance at her flat, tanned stomach.

"You're good at this," he said suddenly as she retrieved gauze, tape, and antiseptic from the kit.

Light glanced up at him slightly. "My mom taught me."

"You should be a nurse," he continued as she dressed his wounds. It was strange to have someone care.

Light stilled for a moment before she finished wrapping his hand. "I don't think I have enough compassion for that career."

Beyond smirked. "Yeah, it wouldn't do to argue with your patients."

"It seemed to work with you," said Light wryly and he grinned.

What the hell was going on here?

"It normally does," said Beyond with a shrug. She let go of his hand and he felt cold without her touch. He looked at her bandage job and nodded appreciatively. "Well done, Nurse Yagami."

"Thank you," she said, smiling kindly at him. "Now get the hell out of here so I can shower."

"Yes, ma'am," said Beyond with a slight grin as he stood up and stretched his arms before leaving the bathroom. As he left he looked over his shoulder at Light as she cleaned up the First Aid supplies. The lingering warmth returned with a vengeance. Just what the hell was this he was feeling?

* * *

' _Thank god,'_  thought Light as she locked the door. Her plan worked. She grabbed the rope Beyond forgot to take with him and stood on the toilet lid. The window was just big enough for her to squeeze through and with the help of the rope tied to the pipe in front of it, she would have enough to hang onto once she got through. She had no idea what was beyond the window, but it was better than staying here with Beyond.

Light found a good spot to tie the rope and after securing it with a knot her father taught her, she eased the window open, hoping that the sound of the shower would cover up any noises the window made. When it was open, and there was no Beyond banging on the door, she threw the rope out and prepared to slip through when there was a noise at the door.

"Light?" asked Beyond. Light cocked an eyebrow, did he sound . . . nervous?

Light cursed her luck and his timing as she put her foot gently down on the toilet lid. "Yes, what is it?"

"I just wanted to check on you," he said. "I know head injuries can cause blackouts and Mikami wouldn't be very happy with me if I let you slip and die in the shower."

"I'm fine," said Light, trying to sound casual but it was difficult when she was so frustrated. "I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Okay," said Beyond, sounding slightly more confident. "There's a change of clothes outside the door. I'll be in the living room. Don't try anything funny."

"Okay, thank you," she said and then heard his footsteps retreat.

Light sighed heavily and sat down on the toilet. This was not how she planned things. Yes she wanted Beyond to feel sympathy for her and give her some freedoms, but she did not expect the serial killer to be so . . . so broken. He was like a lost child. One that possessed very little trust for the world and the people in it; the way he acted when she offered to treat his hand was evidence enough. The way he looked at her then, yes there was suspicion but there was also caution, like he expected it to be a joke. It broke her heart a little to think about what might have caused him to be like that.

She remembered that L called Beyond his first heir and she wondered if the pressure to be the next L is what made Beyond snap. She thought about the two boys that previously vied for L's attention and praise; she wondered what damage they suffered from in their quest to become the next L. She put a hand on her abdomen where her baby lay and thought about what might be in store for it when it was born. This cycle needed to end.

Light looked back at the door and sighed again. She still had a mission. She needed to find out how Kira killed and she suspected that notebook Mikami showed her had something to do with it but she did not know where it was or how it worked. With trembling hands she pulled the rope away from the window and closed it. She needed to find out that crucial piece of information before she even had a prayer of stopping Kira. Light undid the knot and put the rope back on the toilet before she stripped out of her clothes and got into the shower. If she was going to keep up her act, she needed to be convincing.

* * *

Beyond flipped through the notebook, looking at the names written. None of them were by his hand but many were at his suggestion. The thirty-six that Light mentioned, the people whose names contained the letter L in order to send a message to the detective, the people killed with his explosives. Not to mention the three he actually killed in Los Angeles. Those hardly seemed fair, they were going to die anyway, he just happened to be what killed them. He put the book down and stared at the ceiling. Why the hell did he care? Why was he trying to rationalize his actions? When he did them, his only rationalization was he was going to get back at L, make him pay for all he did to him.

The front door rattling startled him from his musings and he quickly put the notebook under the nearest cushion. It might just be Mikami but that man was suspicious every time he saw Beyond with the Death Note.

"Good afternoon, Ryuzaki," said Mikami as he entered, a bag of groceries in hand. "How's Light doing?"

"She's fine," replied Beyond testily. He did not enjoy being surprised. "What are you doing here? You only come here once a week. Won't L find it suspicious you came twice?"

"I came to check on her," snapped Mikami as he headed into the kitchen. "I brought her some food as well, because I'm sure she can't survive like you on only strawberry jam. And I'm not worried about L, he's not going to do anything to us so long as we have Light."

"You're unusually confident," said Beyond as he followed the other man into the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe. He was grateful for the Western style apartment, otherwise he and Mikami and now Light would be on top of each other.

"And why shouldn't I be?" asked Mikami as he put savory ingredients into their correct places in the cupboards and fridge. "L's broken and no longer investigating, Deneuve hasn't been heard from in days, and now we have Light on our side. She'll give us the Task Force and then I'll give her L's head as a trophy." He looked over at Beyond, his dark blue eyes twinkling. "I'm sure she'll be glad to see it, after all he's done to her."

Beyond cocked a dark eyebrow. "What do you mean? The only thing he did was fail and he technically didn't even do that."

Mikami chuckled as he stood back up and close the fridge door. "He broke her heart."

"Wait, you mean that night?" asked Beyond, recalling the trap he had set for L so he and Mikami would come into contact with each other.

"I mean that night," said Mikami with a thin smile. "Light's friend Amane happily informed me that Light fell for L and then he walked away from her. It would seem your old mentor is just as careless with people as usual."

Beyond let out a heavy sigh through his nose. That certainly did sound like L. "So what? You think that she's going to betray her father's friends and colleagues just to get back at L for hurting her?"

Mikami nodded. "Of course, she is a woman after all."

Beyond wanted to laugh right then and there. Mikami really had no idea what kind of woman Light was and she certainly was not the kind who would hurt others just to get back at someone who had hurt her. He was certain of that much.

"And once that's done, I'll ask Light to marry me," continued Mikami, slipping from his façade to his true self with little effort. Beyond hated this; it reminded him of all the masks he saw people wearing at Wammy's.

"She won't agree," said Beyond suddenly and without thinking. In the past he had goaded Mikami on, fueling his delusions and cheering on his insane rants. Now that he knew Light, or at least what she allowed him to see, it felt wrong to encourage Mikami to be with her. It felt almost like a betrayal to her.

Mikami eyed his strangely. "And why wouldn't she?"

"You killed her family," replied Beyond sternly. "You were the one who thought it would be a great way of getting her on your side by exposing L as a fraud."

"As I recall, it was your idea," said Mikami as he took a step forward.

Beyond did as well. "No, it was my idea to challenge L and then make him fail, you were the one who involved the hospitals and Light's family."

"You made the explosives," countered Mikami menacingly.

"And you set them," snapped Beyond. "I had no idea you were going to use them for that until that day. I thought you were going to put them around the NPA or the ICPO building. I thought you were going to threaten the police and L, force them to work together to disable them, that's why I engineered them in a way only L could figure out. If I knew what they were going to be used for, I wouldn't have agreed. I wanted L to suffer but I didn't want all of Japan against us either!"

"What are you talking about?!" demanded Mikami, grabbing the other man by the shoulders and forcing him to face him. "We've done good work, Ryuzaki. We're getting rid of the trash of the world and those who oppose us. Yes, we made a few mistakes, but we can move past them." Something then dawned on him and his grip on Beyond's shoulders increased. "Do you regret helping me?"

Beyond defiantly stared back at Mikami, his eyes flashing between burgundy and red. "Took you long enough to figure out."

Mikami's eyes flashed dangerously. "You're a fool, Beyond."

"Takes one to know one," quipped Beyond.

Suddenly he was falling to the floor. His head hit the wood and he saw stars for a moment before his eyes opened and he saw Mikami standing over him. He looked dangerous but Beyond was hardly afraid; Mikami killed from afar while he had killed up close. Mikami was a coward.

"Teru!" shouted Light and they both looked to see her standing in the doorway. Beyond's mouth went dry when he saw her standing there in his white shirt; it was just barely bigger on her than him and went to the top of her thighs, revealing her long, toned legs. Her light brown hair was wet and hung around her face attractively. He glanced at her chest and saw the faint outline of her breasts.

"Light," said Teru, trying to compose himself quickly. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for Beyond," she said as she stepped into the kitchen, her eyes briefly going to Beyond as he lay on the floor. "Are you alright?"

"I'll live," he groaned as he forced himself into a sitting position.

Light nodded before she turned her attention back to Mikami. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she barked. "Why did you attack him?"

Beyond bit against smirking as Mikami opened and closed his mouth as he attempted to explain himself to Light. He looked like a fish.

"He provoked me," replied Mikami coldly, glaring at Beyond.

Light rolled her eyes. "I shouldn't be surprised, after all you attacked Ryuzaki with minimal provocation as well."

"But Light—" started Mikami, looking desperate and irate.

"I don't want to hear it," she said wearily, as if she were dealing with two small children. "Just go, Teru. I really don't feel like patching Beyond up again."

Mikami looked tempted to argue but something in Light's eyes stayed his words. He nodded and without another word, strode out of the apartment.

Beyond smiled widely as he looked up at Light, there was something radiant about her in that moment. "My hero," he said with a chuckle. "Why did you do that?"

"I don't know," she replied as she offered him her hand. "I'm just sick of hearing people arguing."

"Understandable," said Beyond as he took her hand, he used it to propel himself up. Their hands lingered in each other's for a few moments before they simultaneously let go.

It annoyed Light to side with Beyond, but she knew two things and those two things would keep her alive: she was stuck with Beyond more than Mikami, so it would help to stay on his good side and L had a better chance of capturing Mikami than Beyond. She felt disgusted with herself for being nice to the man who assisted in her family's murder, but she wanted to live to see her child grow up and have children of its own, so sacrifices must be made. Not to mention a part of her, likely her newly developed maternal instincts, felt sorry for Beyond and wanted to help him somehow. Her rational mind knew he was too far-gone and yet her instincts would not shut up about reaching the human part of this monster.

"How was your shower?" asked Beyond as he looked down at his feet. She noticed he was not wearing any shoes, just like L.

"Much needed," she said as she headed into the living room, dropping herself onto the couch with as much ease as she could muster. "Thank you for letting me."

"Sure," he said softly as he watched her lie on the couch, her feet just mere centimeters from the notebook. "Is there anything else you'd like?"

"Just a nap," she replied, wondering if he would let her stay on the couch when her stomach loudly growled. "And I suppose a snack wouldn't hurt either."

Beyond chuckled. "How about I bring you something to eat?" he suggested, sounding hesitant and she nodded slightly. If she moved her head too much, it sent the world into a tailspin.

"I'll be right back," he said when he saw her nod.

"I'll be here," said Light, sounding exhausted and he retreated from the room.

Light let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes against her brewing headache. She prayed that L would find Mikami and somehow figure out how to save her before Beyond decided to kill her. It was going to be an incredibly long night.


	20. Chapter 20

It was pouring down rain while thunder and lightning waged war in the dark clouds above. Wind whipped through as if determined to bring down a building or at least part of one. In the center of it all stood L, soaked to the bone with his head turned towards the heavens, beseeching whoever was responsible for the answers. It had been almost three days since Light went missing and there was no word from Beyond about a ransom. Kira, whoever he was, was not killing. This was not right.

' _I wonder what he's done to her?'_  he thought dejectedly as he watched a bolt of lightning light up the sky. If he were here, Watari would be dragging him back inside, citing that getting struck by a stray bolt would not serve the greater good of the world. L felt his eyes sting as he thought about his mentor and father figure. Right now he lay in intensive care with a severe head wound; the doctors were not optimistic that he would live and if he did, he definitely would not be fit enough to resume his previous position. He would need to retire and L felt sick at the thought. Losing Watari meant Beyond successfully destroyed L.

Aiber and Wedy were going to be all right. They were already on a private plane back to France where their son was waiting for them. L supposed that was a small enough victory to warrant a faint smile. If only Light were by his side, then he would have reason enough to smile.

Light, Light Yagami, Deneuve, the woman who was an endless source of frustration and adrenaline for him, who could spar verbally better than anyone could with a weapon. The woman whose pride was so great she refused to give him an inch until it was pointless not to, whose intelligence rivaled his own, whose kindness for those around her was a beacon for wayward souls. The woman who was his other half, equal and opposite, and utterly perfect for him. He kicked himself for so much, and most of it revolved around how he treated Light when they first met, when they shared that perfect moment and created their perfect child. If she allowed him, he would spend the rest of his life making it up to her.

"Ryuzaki, come inside," said Naomi, her voice a port in the storm. He turned and saw her standing in the doorway, black leather jacket wrapped around her but it was pointless. She was going to be as soaked as he in a few more seconds.

L said nothing and turned his eyes back to the sky. He loved the rain, always had, and he felt at home in the middle of a horrific storm. It reminded him of the storm that raged in his mind and soul.

Naomi was not in the mood to entertain his eccentricities. She marched from the safety of the doorway and grabbed L by the wrist, forcibly dragging him back inside despite his struggling. They were both completely soaked when they reentered the hotel but she hardly cared, it was time for L to stop wallowing in self-pity and to be the detective and hero she knew. She dragged him all the way back to the penthouse suites they were staying in and into the bathroom where she threw four towels at him. They landed on his head and at his feet.

"Dry yourself off," she commanded, pointing at the pieces of cloth. "Matt's found something and you'll want to hear it."

This perked the detective up enough to obey her orders and he threw one towel on his head before leaning down to dry his feet. He stood back up and noticed Naomi was gone, likely back to her own room where she could dry off, and he began toweling off his hair. It would still take hours to dry properly, but this was better than dripping all over the floor. L then took the other two towels and tied one around his waist and threw another one over his shoulders. He knew he should change into dry clothes but he did not feel like it, these clothes were perfectly fine if just a little wet.

L left the bathroom and headed for the main area they were using as their headquarters. After Light was kidnapped, they changed hotels again, this time to be closer to the hospital where Watari was staying and close to the park where Light was abducted. Mello, Matt, and Near were looking into her abduction while he continued to monitor Mikami for any sudden changes in pattern or behavior. The only suspicious activity in the last few days was he traveled to Osaka twice in the last week when normally he only goes once a week. He has a relative there whom he visits regularly and buys groceries for; L already called the assisted living home and determined that Mikami had been by for another visit. Apparently his mother insisted he go more often.

Watching him on the monitor was enough to make L's skin itch. They knew he was responsible for Light's disappearance but they could not get him on anything, there was no proof, just that Light went on a walk with him and did not come back but he did. It was not a crime for her to go off on her own, nor was it a crime that she was not in contact with any of them. The audio they gathered from that outing could be used but it did not confirm that Light had been assaulted by him or dragged away from the area.

It was endlessly frustrating.

L breezed past Matsuda, who was busy talking to Aizawa, and sat down in an armchair in front of three screens, each with a letter on it.

"Maki says you found something, Matt," said L as he brought his knees up, mindful of the towels. "What is it?"

" _I found video footage of Mikami before the attack,"_  said Matt, sounding a little excited.  _"I hacked into the feed from cameras on surrounding restaurants and have enough to issue a warrant for his arrest."_

This was definitely good news. "Excellent, now we can proceed with our search for Light," said L happily, feeling the first trickling of relief in days.

" _Oh, well,"_  said Matt, sounding less excited and more terrified.  _"You see, the footage isn't of Light and Mikami. It's of Mikami with Aiber and Wedy and Watari. He's the one who knocked all three of them unconscious."_

This was unsettling. How was Mikami able to accomplish this? And what part did Beyond play in any of it?

"Show me," ordered L and without another word, an image popped up on his screen. He pressed the play button.

Mikami was walking down a sidewalk, Aiber following discreetly behind. This had been Light's idea, to have someone tailing Mikami in case he went to find Beyond or killed anyone on the way over to their date. Mikami continued until he turned down an alley, Aiber hurried to catch up with him, trying to walk past without being noticed but was pulled into the shadows. The camera feed switched to another and L watched as Mikami threw Aiber to the ground, no easy feat, and then picked up a thick pipe and struck him over the head a couple of times.

L cringed as he watched. It looked incredibly painful and he made a mental note to check up on Aiber in the coming days. The feed switched again, this time to the restaurant next to the café where Mikami was to meet Light. Wedy was sitting at a table, drinking a cup of coffee and smoking a cigarette. L checked the timestamp and saw it was thirty minutes before the date. Again, it was Light's idea to have Wedy arrive early, to check the place out and ensure that it was safe. She was supposed to move somewhere else when Light showed up.

Mikami approached Wedy and said something L could not determine thanks to the low quality footage. Whatever it was, it was enough for to get Wedy to stand up and leave her post. The footage changed moments after they left view and again, he was taking her down an alley, he pointed at the floor and Wedy cautiously moved over there. Mikami was on her in seconds, striking her in the head with what appeared to be the same pipe from his attack on Aiber and she fell to the ground without any struggle. L was horrified. These two were supposed to be his best agents and both were overpowered by a law student!

The feed switched again and this time, L was sitting on the edge of his chair. Watari was standing on the outside of the driver's side door, obviously waiting for a signal that would never come that Light had arrived safely. L watched as Mikami crept up behind him, the pipe sliding out of his jacket sleeve. He wanted to warn Watari, to tell him to look behind him, but it was pointless. He looked at the timestamp, it was five minutes before Mikami was supposed to arrive to meet Light.

Mikami raised the pipe and brought it crashing down on Watari's head. Only Watari did not go down as easily as Aiber and Wedy. He held onto the door and used it to throw himself into the car, closing it behind him. Mikami wrenched the door open just a second later and pulled on Watari's ankle, pulling him out and onto the ground. He proceeded to strike Watari three more times before the older gentleman stopped trying to escape. L nearly threw the monitor as he watched Mikami pull Watari completely out of the car and push him under it before closing the door.

' _Well, that certainly clarifies things,'_  he thought as the footage ended. He was seething but at least they had some answers, especially those concerning where they found Aiber, Wedy, and Watari.

" _What do you think, L?"_  asked Matt as the window closed.

"I think Mikami is a very dangerous man," he said, stating the incredibly obvious. "What I want to know is how he knew exactly whom to attack."

" _I think you'll have plenty of time to ask him that,"_  said Matt confidently.  _"I just sent the video to Aizawa, along with the DNA results of the blood found on the pipe Matsuda brought in."_

L's thin lips curled into a satisfied smile. At last he had Mikami and he had him by the throat. "Excellent. Mello, Near."

" _Yes, L?"_  the boys asked in unison.

"The three of you are going to assist me in interrogating Mikami," said L sternly. "Matt, I need you to set up a private space here in Japan for us to work, ensure that it has supplies enough to keep Mikami alive and in captivity for an extended period of time. Near, gather all the information you can on Mikami, even the tiniest detail might be the key to breaking him. Mello, I want you to be the one who brings Mikami in. There is a private jet at the airport near your location, I'll send the pilot and staff instructions to takeoff in two hours, and I want all of you on that plane and in Japan by tomorrow night."

" _What about Mikami?"_  asked Matt.

"Mikami isn't going anywhere," replied L dismissively. "So long as he and Beyond have Light, they aren't going to make a move that could compromise their position of strength."

" _Yes, L,"_  they said together.

" _L,"_  said Matt and L looked at his screen.  _"I have a question."_

"What is it?" asked L, ready to end the conversation and begin planning the many ways he was going to use to break Mikami.

" _How's Watari doing?"_  he asked, his tone sheepish.

L's frustration melted slightly. Of course the boy would be concerned about Watari, especially after watching that video clip. "He's in intensive care, but the doctors are optimistic he'll recover." He decided it was best to lie, as much for himself as the boys. "He'll likely retire after he gets out, so you'll be taking over for him, Matt."

" _Alright, thank you,"_  said Matt graciously.  _"We'll see you soon. Wammy Boys out."_

The screens went dark.

* * *

A particularly loud rumble of thunder jolted Beyond from his uneasy sleep. He bolted up and reached for something to use as a weapon, it was when lightning flashed that he realized he was not under attack.

"Jesus," he whispered, running a hand through his black hair.

"Power's out," said Light, her voice startling him enough to jump.

"God are you trying to give me a heart attack!?" he demanded, turning in the general direction he heard her voice.

"No, I thought that was your job," snapped Light and he rolled his eyes.

"That's Kira's job, not mine," he replied as he stood up and began walking towards the kitchen. Mikami, in his infinite resourcefulness, stowed away about two-dozen candles and a flashlight for just such an emergency. Beyond was glad that he knew where they were and the layout of the apartment, otherwise he would be tripping over himself in the dark.

"I thought you were Kira," said Light, trying to sound nonchalant but he still heard the tone of surprise.

Beyond sighed, "Stay where you are, I'm getting some candles."

Light said nothing but he did not hear her get up from the couch, so he knew she was at least going to listen to him. He found the drawer in the kitchen that held the candles and pulled out about six plus a flashlight and a lighter then headed back to the living room. Gingerly he felt around for the coffee table and found it by stubbing his big toe against it. He hissed in pain as he sat down and put the candles on the table. He turned on the flashlight and put it light side up on the table, as to illuminate the room. Beyond spied the empty plate from Light's lunch and two empty jam jars from his snack earlier, when he had sat and watched Light sleep until he fell asleep. Years of conditioning to stay awake for prolonged hours seemed to be failing him.

Beyond reached for the plate and then a candle and the lighter. He flicked the switch and brought out a small flame that flickered in the darkness. That small flame was enough to destroy a building or a person. His eyes went to the burned skin on his hand, hidden under the cuff of his long white sleeve. He could still feel the flames that licked at his skin, burning it away along with his sins, the pain that seared through his body as he slowly was eaten. It was the release he had so longed for, only to have it ripped away.

"Are you alright?" asked Light, her voice tearing him away from his dark memories.

"Fine," he stated flatly as he picked up a candle and held the fire to the base, melting the wax before he shoved it down on the plate. He held it in place until it dried and then he lit it. He picked up another and repeated the process.

"You know, you don't treat me like a hostage," said Light, slipping from the couch to the floor. "Aside from the obvious that is."

Beyond kept his head down as he finished stuffing a candle into an empty jam jar. "Start lighting candles."

Light nodded and picked up the lighter he had discarded a moment ago. She flicked it on and held it to the wick of one of the candles on the plate. "I think it's because you didn't want me here in the first place."

Again, he remained silent, resisting the temptation of speaking with her.

"Mikami was the one who kidnapped me, not you," continued Light as she lit another candle, bathing the small space in a warm golden glow. "You probably thought it was a bad idea and wanted to kill me right away."

"I wasn't going to kill you," said Beyond despite his best efforts. He glanced up and saw the puzzled expression on her face. He needed to fix this and fast. "If I did then we wouldn't have a link to L and the Task Force."

Light's eyes danced with amusement as she finished lighting a candle in a jar. "I see, so you plan on using me to get to the Task Force." She already knew this but was not about to let that slip out, right now she held more cards than Beyond and she was going to play them slowly. "You're probably under the assumption that because my father was the head of it, under L of course, that I would know who's on it. How far off am I?"

Beyond remained silent and Light grinned triumphantly. Apparently she was dead on.

She handed him the lighter and noticed the hesitant way he accepted it. She had noticed before how he stared at the fire, like it was going to bite him if he got too close. "You were burned, weren't you?" she asked, looking at his mouth and the strange way it pulled. That plus the way he acted around fire confirmed her suspicions.

"Yes," replied Beyond as he lit the final candle and turned off the flashlight. "I did it to myself."

Light's breath caught in her throat. "Why?"

"You're the smart one, figure it out," he snapped and he felt a wave of regret wash over him. He really had no reason to snap at her but he did so anyway because it felt better than breaking down that wall and to her no less, a woman he had no interest in until they met and now he just wanted these surges of emotion to cease so he could think. The only way to do that would be to get rid of Light and yet, when he thought about that, he felt hollow and empty inside. Why did he feel this way and why did it have to be her?

They sat in silence for a while, watching the candle wax melt from the flames and drip down the shaft of the tapers. It gathered at the base and formed a better seal to prevent the candle from falling over. Light reached out and slowly dragged her hand across the top of the nearest flame, it barely warmed her hand as she played.

Beyond watched her, his burgundy orbs never leaving her hand as it traveled across the flame. Her hand remained level for most of the time but it slowly began to drift marginally lower until he saw the tip of the fire drag across her palm. It was too much, he could not watch this any longer. His hand flew out and gripped her wrist, pulling it away from the flame.

"That's enough," he said, his eyes locking with hers as he spoke. He could see the shifting emotions in them, going from annoyance to curiosity to understanding in a matter of seconds. It annoyed him but he was just glad that she was no longer tempting fate with her skin and the fire.

"I'm sorry," she said and it sounded genuine. Her eyes went to the hand on her wrist, and he looked down as well, surprised. He immediately let go. "Why do you care if your hostage gets hurt?" she asked with a slight chuckle.

Beyond shifted uncomfortably on the floor. The storm continued to rage outside but it was drowned out by all the thoughts running through his mind in that instant. "You aren't my captive," he said, peeking at her as he spoke. "You're Mikami's, I'm just here to keep an eye on you."

Light looked at him curiously. "So I could just walk out of here if I wanted?"

"Essentially," said Beyond, secretly hoping she would not. "I would only advise against it because Mikami would come looking for you again and he might not be so nice when he did."

"Yes, that would be a predicament," agreed Light as she unconsciously leaned closer to the candles, seeking their warmth. Without the heat, the apartment was much colder than she anticipated.

Beyond noticed and without a word, got up from the floor and went into the bedroom, pulling the navy quilt from the bed and returning. He went over to Light and deposited the blanket over her shoulders, then sat back down at the head of the table.

"Oh, thank you," she said, a little surprised, but grateful and she pulled the blanket tighter around her form. "Aren't you cold?"

"I'm fine," he replied although his nearly frozen feet and hands begged to differ.

Light saw right through the lie and opened the blanket. "Come on, it's big enough for both of us."

Beyond was hesitant. Why was she being so nice to him? Just yesterday they were at each other's throats and this afternoon had not gone any better. What was different now?

"I'm tired of fighting you," she said as if reading his mind. "You're obviously not my enemy, you're just another poor soul pulled into this mess."

' _Is that what I am?'_  he wondered as he slowly inched over to Light's side.  _'Was I just pulled into this or did I jump?'_  He could hardly remember as he slipped into the blanket and pulled it around his shoulders and nestled a little closer to Light. Her heat came off her in waves and he was instantly warmed.

"You never answered my question earlier," said Light, moving the quilt slightly.

"Which one?" he asked, resting his back against the sofa. He was so tired but he did not want to go to sleep just yet, he wanted to keep talking to her; maybe if they kept talking, she might stay.

"If you killed innocents or criminals," said Light, watching with amusement as his eyes grew heavy.

Beyond huffed and then unraveled himself from the blanket. He reached up under the sofa cushion nearest him and pulled out the Death Note. "See for yourself," he said as he handed it to her and then wrapped himself back into the blanket. He was out cold a second later.

Light gasped softly when she saw the notebook. It was the same one from that day. She looked sidelong at Beyond to ensure he was asleep before she opened it. Her gaze went to the instructions written on the inside, the first one leaping off the page at her:

_The human whose name is written in this note, shall die._

She looked on the next page and saw the page was filled with names written in tight neat handwriting that she easily concluded was Mikami's. Beyond did not seem like the type of person to have the patience to write like this. She read the names; all of them were on L's list of victims, including the rape victim and the fraternity brother. There were times and different circumstances for each one, some sounded impossible and others sounded unreasonable. There were tick marks beside a few of the names. Only twelve names were on this page, confirming L's theory that the first victims were likely experiments.

Light turned the page and found more names and times listed beside them. All of these were criminals and set to die in batches at different times. What Beyond said was in fact true, criminals were being killed every hour of every day. Again, the handwriting was the same as the other page. She flipped through several more and each one gave the same story with the same handwriting. There was not a single page that had even a character written in a different hand.

With trembling hands she looked at Beyond, the man she thought was Kira, only to amend that thought right away. Beyond was never Kira, he had lied before; it was more likely that Mikami promised not to kill him if he agreed to assist him against L. Beyond agreed so he could live and have a chance to bring down L. Both she and Beyond were Mikami's prisoners. The only part she could not work out was why Beyond wanted to go to war with L so badly. She had a sneaking suspicion it involved those burns on his face.

Softly, Light closed the notebook and put it on the table. She blew out the candles and leaned back against the sofa; she closed her eyes and did her best to relax as sleep steadily worked its way through her body. She was hardly bothered when she felt Beyond move in closer and rest his head close to hers. In fact, she almost found it comforting.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter deals with miscarriage and mentions child abuse.

When Beyond awoke the next morning, he was alone. Panic coursed through his veins as he looked around the room for any sign of Light only to find none. He slumped back against the sofa and let out a shaky sigh, it would seem she decided to leave after all. He almost let out a laugh, he was so stupid and naïve, why would she stay when she knew she could leave and he would not do anything to her? He was already living on borrowed time, so it was only inevitable before L caught him and executed for his crimes, probably without delay.

' _Oh well,'_  he thought as he extracted himself from the quilt.  _'At least I got a decent sleep last night.'_  The first in seventeen years.

Beyond raised his arms up and stretched. He was just about to venture into the kitchen when he heard the toilet flush in the bathroom. He paused and strained to listen to the silence that followed and heard the floor creaking from that direction. His heart leapt into his throat. Light was still here; she did not leave after all. Without another thought he jumped up from the floor and hurried to the bathroom, he needed to make sure it was in fact her and this was not just his imagination.

When he arrived at the door he was hardly surprised to see it closed, he reached up and knocked on the door, half expecting her to shout at him to go away and he would have welcomed that.

"Light?" he asked when he heard nothing.

"Beyond," she moaned, sounding like she was in pain. "Beyond, help me!"

His hand was on the doorknob instantly and he pushed the door open. The sight that greeted him was one he never hoped to see again. Light was lying on the tile floor, the hem of the shirt he gave her yesterday was covered in blood smears, her panties lay discarded and soaked with blood. His eyes traveled to Light's legs and he saw more blood trickling from between them.

"Jesus Christ," he muttered as he took in the carnage. It was almost as bad as a crime scene.

"Help me," repeated Light, sounding desperate, her voice thick and he found it in him to meet her gaze. Her eyes were pleading with him to help, to move his legs and do something. Beyond did just that.

He crossed the room and scooped her up, ignoring the wet warm liquid that covered his hand the moment it touched her legs. Then he moved her to the shower, which was blessedly only a few feet from where she was, and she used her free hand to throw open the curtain before he lowered her into the tub. It was the only thing he could think of to keep the mess under control.

Light closed her eyes and her face twisted with pain. "I'm sorry," she groaned as more blood gushed from between her legs.

"Don't worry about it," he said as he watched. There was far too much and it was far too heavy to be just a normal menses. Either she was hemorrhaging or she was miscarrying. "Light, are you pregnant?"

Light opened her eyes and he could see the tears swimming in them. The answer was plain to see.

"It's okay," said Beyond calmly. "Everything's going to be okay."

"I'm glad one of us is optimistic," said Light with a strained smile only to moan again, her cramps growing in intensity. With each one, more blood came out.

Beyond was terrified. There was so much of it and it was all coming from the same place, even someone who killed like he did could not be prepared for something as horrific.  _'Enough of that,'_  chided his inner voice.  _'Light's already scared, she doesn't need you falling to pieces on her. You were trained as a doctor, you idiot, do something!'_

"Light, I need you to answer some questions for me," said Beyond gently and she nodded. "When did the bleeding start?"

"Twenty minutes ago," she replied, sounding surprisingly calm. "I think some blood got on the quilt and floor, but I can't say for certain."

Beyond brushed that aside. "It's fine, it can be cleaned. Now, how would rate your pain? Is it more than you've experienced before?"

Light shook her head. "No, this is fairly normal for me. It's just the bleeding that's abnormal. I don't bleed this much during my period."

"That's good," he said and she stared at him incredulously. "Sorry, all I meant was it would be abnormal for anyone to lose this much during a period." It was not the best thing he could say right now, considering she was losing a child, but it was all he could think of. "Do you feel like you have a fever or the flu?"

Again Light shook her head. It was a good sign but he would need to keep an eye on that until she was on the mend.

"Are you feeling dizzy?" he asked and she shook her head. Another good sign but something he would need to keep an eye on as well. "Alright, good." He took a discreet sniff and sighed, nothing smelled off about the blood either, so she was not suffering from an immediate infection. Barring any environmental influences, it was likely this was just a spontaneous miscarriage brought about by a genetically defective fetus.

"Are you a doctor?" she asked, sounding amused at the prospect.

Beyond nodded. "I was trained as a physician. Everyone at the orphanage I lived in was told to choose a career and trained for it with the guidance of experts in the field. I even completed my clinical training before going to prison."

Light smirked. "What are the odds?"

"I could give them to you if you want," said Beyond with a grin and she shook her head. "I thought not, no one really wants to hear the odds of anything; it makes things seem so much more predictable."

She laughed a little and his grin widened; this was the first time he heard her laugh and he liked the sound. Her laughter quickly subsided and she groaned instead, he looked down and saw the trickle of blood increase for a little while, when Light stopped groaning the blood calmed down again. Beyond saw something strange in this blood flow and leaned down over the edge of the tub to get a better look. Sitting in the ever widening puddle was a two-inch lump, and even in the dim light of the bathroom, he could see the small arm and legs.

Light let out a strangled sob and his head shot up. Her eyes were closed and tears were running down her cheeks in small rivers. Beyond acted on instinct and brought a hand up to Light's cheek, forgetting that it was still covered in her blood, and caressed her as he leaned over to press his forehead against hers.

"It's alright, Light," he whispered, wiping her tears away. "It's alright, I'm here. I'm here. Just breathe, Light, it'll be fine."

Light nodded as she continued to cry. Her heart broke with every cramp and she desperately wished that it would just end already. She listened to Beyond and focused on her breathing. It surprised her greatly that she was not afraid of him being so close or having him touch her, rather she was relieved.

She knew L and she knew in her heart that he would have left her alone to grieve after calling someone else in to handle the miscarriage. It would have been with the best of intentions, but she definitely preferred having someone beside her to handling it on her own. She supposed he might have been there, but it definitely would not have been without his work, so his attention would have been divided. It was nice to have the contrary. She always did things on her own so it felt good to lean on someone else for a change, even if in a more emotionally stable state she would have repeatedly fought against the assistance.

It amazed her that Beyond was there at all, he could have just left her to deal with it after putting her in the bathtub, but instead he stayed. He assessed her situation and made sure that she was not in any immediate danger. He was even covered in her blood and still he did not make a move to leave. She wondered why he was there and why he even cared. She thought it might have to do with Mikami but that somehow seemed like a hollow excuse; all Mikami would have wanted was Beyond to check in on her, not sit and hold her while she suffered.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, still wiping her tears. They mingled with the drying blood on his hands and left streaks on her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Light." He was sorry for so much and he had no idea where to start.

"Why?" asked Light, sniffling a little. "You didn't do anything."

Beyond shook his head. "You can't say that, I might have done something to cause this. I didn't let you eat regularly and I kept you in that closet and—"

A pair of lips interrupted him.

"Don't say that," said Light as she pulled her mouth away. "You didn't know I was pregnant and I didn't say anything. This isn't your fault, Beyond, it's no one's fault. It just happens."

Beyond was speechless. She kissed him and then told him she did not blame him for this. He would have felt better if she were screaming and cursing at him; at least he would have known where her head was at the moment. Now he was left confused and a little pleased. Was she playing a game with him? Was she doing this so he would feel sorry for her and let her go? No, she already knew she could leave and he would not stop her. Why then was she acting like this?

"Light," he said quietly, moving his head away but he still kept his hand on her cheek. "What do you want to do about the baby?"

Light looked down at the tiny fetus, it looked so sad sitting there in her blood. She turned back to Beyond who was looking at her expectantly. "If it's not too much trouble, could you put it in a container?" she asked softly. "I want to bury it."

"It's no trouble at all," said Beyond with a half-smile. "I'll be right back." He kissed her forehead before he stood up and left the bathroom.

He hurried into the kitchen and found one of his empty jam jars. It was hardly a casket but it was small enough for Light's baby and could be sealed with the lid, so it was as good as any. He ran it under the tap and used a sponge to clean the inside of any remaining jam residue and did the same to the lid before drying them both with a paper towel. This was the first time he saw his hands and realized the extent of the mess. Compared to his murders, his hands were relatively clean but this blood made him nauseous. He quickly cleaned them and grabbed a pair of latex cleaning gloves from under the sink. When he had all he needed, he went back into the bathroom.

"I'm back," he said even though it was painfully obvious.

"Good," she said, her eyes on him as he moved back to the side of the bathtub.

Beyond gave her an apologetic smile as he put on the gloves and reached into the tub. His hand was trembling slightly as it neared the fetus and he willed it to stop, even if it was just long enough to put the baby in the jar. His wish was granted the moment he touched the slick skin of the fetus. He gently scooped it up with his fingers and brought the jar beside it, he turned the jar on its side and slide the fetus inside before gently righting the jar. He handed it and the lid to Light while he removed the gloves and dealt with his shaking hands.

Light held the jar close to her heart as she screwed the lid on. She looked through the glass at her baby and felt a fresh wave of tears threaten to spill but she held them in, there would be plenty of time for that later, right now she needed to say goodbye. She brought the jar up to her mouth.

"You were so loved," she said softly. "I was so looking forward to meeting you, little one. I'm sorry. I love you."

"Do you want to name it?" asked Beyond as he watched Light talk to the baby. "You might feel better if it has a name."

"I don't even know what it was," said Light forlornly.

"It doesn't matter," said Beyond gently. "Just name it whatever you want."

Light nodded and looked at the baby. "Soichiro, after my father. That's what I planned on anyway, I guess it doesn't hurt to give it its name."

Beyond nodded and looked at the baby. With his unique eyes, eyes possessed by  _shinigami_ , he saw small characters floating above the baby's head. They spelled out Yagami, Soichiro.

* * *

It was late into the night when Light's bleeding finally stopped. In that time, Beyond only left her side a handful of times to get them something to eat or drink. The final time was to run down to the convenience store at the corner to buy a pack of pads for Light to help contain any residual bleeding. Despite their circumstances, the situation was surprisingly domestic and almost seemed normal.

"My underwear is ruined," said Light when he came back with the pads. During that time, she took a much-needed shower. She was still sitting in the tub, in case there was more bleeding, and wearing only a towel as her shirt was discarded on top of her blood soaked panties.

"I have something you can wear," he said as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," she said, fighting a yawn. "I'm sorry about all this. I know this wasn't what you were expecting when Mikami told you to guard me."

Beyond smirked. "I wasn't expecting to guard you at all."

Light smirked in return and watched as he gathered up her ruined clothes and dumped them in the sink. She watched as he filled the sink with water and made sure her clothes were at least wet. Looking at him, it felt like she was really seeing him for the first time, not the L imposter she saw initially. His hair was darker than L's and seemed to shine blue in the right light, his skin was not as pale as L's and she could make out the faint line on his face where makeup met flesh. His posture was much better than L's and his hands seemed thinner and fingers longer. There were so many more differences between Beyond and L that she wondered why she even thought the two were remotely the same.

She wondered why she cared. She should hate him, she should be trying to get away from him, he even said she could and he would not stop her. Why then was she still here? She could have easily left after he fell asleep, she even had the notebook to prove Mikami was Kira and show L how he killed. If she left, she would return to her waiting lover and friends, she would live her life with L and stay by his side for as long as she wanted. She would act as the world's greatest detective and work closely with intelligent people all over the world, she would have access to everything she could ever want, and never worry about her family or friends again as she could protect them. This was true, all of it, and it made her feel empty inside. These were the expectations she would be obligated to fulfill upon her return and the thought made her ill.

So much was expected of her, all of the time. She was expected to go to university, she was expected to find a secure career, she was expected to marry and have a family. She was expected to hate Kira and support L, she was expected to want to escape her enemy, and she was expected to not care about Beyond. So many expectations and yet, being here, with him, there were none. She was not obligated to do anything. She could sit in bed all day and scream at him until her voice died, she could hit and bite and he would do the same, she could talk to him or ignore him and he would not put any pressure on her to change her mind. She could sit in a bathtub and watch as one of her dreams painfully faded away and cry and he would be right there, whispering his sympathies and holding her close.

Beyond expected nothing out of her; it would hardly matter to him if she was a model captive or a hellion. She could stay or leave and he would accept her decision without dispute. It was liberating.

"I don't want to leave," she whispered as she watched him straighten up the bathroom. No, she did not want to leave this newfound freedom or this man. She almost slapped herself at that last thought. Had she not, just a few days ago, told L how much he meant to her? How she wanted to be with him? She was even jealous over the thought of him being with someone else.

Her mind wandered back to that conversation. It seemed like it was a lifetime ago now. Everything felt so right then, she was recovering from her loss, she told L about the baby, and L asked her to be his girlfriend. It all fell into place like she wanted, or was it really what she wanted?

"Do you think you can stand?" asked Beyond, shaking her from her thoughts.

Light shrugged. "Maybe, I'm not sure though."

Beyond nodded. "Okay. I'm going to go get you something to wear, I'll be right back."

Light nodded and settled back in the tub. Her back and legs were sore from being in there all day, but it was not like she had much of a choice; her bleeding was too heavy to just sit on the toilet and she might have flushed her baby without even knowing. She would do it again if it meant having that moment with her child.

Beyond returned moments later with a clean shirt, a pair of white briefs, and a couple of safety pins. Light laughed when she saw the underwear.

"I didn't think you were a briefs man," she said as he sat down and began putting a pad in the underwear.

"I'm not," said Beyond firmly. "Mikami bought these and some boxers as well, said he didn't know which I preferred and didn't want to ask such a personal question." He looked at them and then at the pad. "Besides, I didn't think boxers would offer you the support you needed."

Light was touched by his consideration and refrained from laughing as he handed her the clothes, although she almost did laugh when he turned his back to give her some privacy while she changed. She removed the towel and put the underwear on first. It was not that large on her at all, in fact it fit her very well. She decided not to dwell on whether that was because Beyond had slightly wider hips than most men or hers had gotten bigger. Once it was on, Light leaned forward and put the shirt on; she glanced at Beyond as she did and smirked a little when she saw him quickly look away.

"I'm decent," she announced and he turned back around, his cheeks now a slight pink color.

"Good," he said, trying to sound normal but it came out cracked. He went to her side and held out his hands, she accepted both and together they pulled her out of the tub. She then put an arm around Beyond's neck and he around her back, then he knelt down in order to get an arm under her legs and he pulled her into his arms. This was starting to feel routine as well.

Beyond carried her into the bedroom and gently deposited her on the bed with a small bounce. Light giggled and he grinned. This felt so normal and easy, he wondered if this was all some kind of strange dream.

"I'm going to get the blanket," he said as he headed for the door. "I already checked and there isn't any blood on it. Is there anything else you need?"

Light sat up and looked at him. He stood by the door, one hand on the knob and his eyes squarely on her. She knew if she asked, he would give her just about anything. "Yes," she said, her voice calm and soft. "I want you to sleep here with me."

Beyond gaped at her. That was certainly not what he was expecting to hear when he asked, he thought she might want a snack or an extra pillow. Not him. "Okay," he said at last, his throat a little tight as he left the room.

When he was outside, he closed the door and released a very shaky breath. This was definitely not what he expected . . . but he was hardly disappointed with the outcome. After sitting in that bathroom with her all day, comforting her when she cried or was in pain, he could hardly imagine leaving her alone now. The very thought made him angry. With a smile he rushed to get the blanket and hurried back, eager to be with Light.

She was already lying down when he returned, stretched out like a cat sunning itself. He smiled wider when she beckoned him to join her and he forgot the blanket until he almost tripped over it in his enthusiasm. They shared a laugh as he fell onto the bed beside her, throwing the blanket on them both.

"Do you normally sleep in jeans?" she teased when she noticed he did not take off his pants.

"I normally don't sleep," he replied before he could stop himself.

Light raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Beyond sighed heavily. "I was conditioned to go with very little sleep for extended periods of time."

Light did not seem the least bit shocked to hear this, in fact she seemed to expect it, or at least thought it made sense. That puzzled him.

"Why?" she asked, sensing that he was on to what she was hiding.

"You're tired," he said defensively. This was not a conversation he wanted to have right now. "You should be sleeping."

Light rolled her eyes. "And you should be in prison, so we're both doing things we shouldn't."

He could hardly argue with that.

With a resigned sigh, Beyond settled down into the bed and Light moved closer, they were lying facing each other and he put a hand on her hip, caressing it with his thumb. "I was L's heir," said Beyond with about as much emotion as if he were discussing the weather. "And as his heir, I was expected to be exactly like him. From my intelligence to my posture, it was all supposed to be like L's. L can function for six days on only two hours of sleep, and that was expected of me as well." The scars on his back prickle as he thought about the Taser that was repeatedly used on him whenever he failed to stay awake. "Let's just say there was a unique way of ensuring I obeyed."

"You were tortured," said Light without hesitation. She could see the pain in his eyes as he told her and she knew instantly.

Beyond nodded. "I was made to sit crouched on a chair in front of a laptop and work after a two hour nap. There was always someone with me, making sure I stayed awake. I made it to about a day and a half before I started to drift off. Then a Taser was stuck in my back and I was shocked until I was awake. I would work a little longer and start to drift and then I was shocked. The cycle kept going until I stayed awake for six consecutive days with needing to be shocked. I was only allowed two hours of sleep every six days, but it was never a deep sleep, I was always ready."

Light stared at him, her eyes wide and mouth hanging open slightly. This seemed to astonish her immensely. "How old were you?"

"Seven when it started," said Beyond, even now he could remember the moment he stepped through Wammy's doors and found himself the center of scrutiny as Watari and Roger determined his worth. If he could go back, he would keep his seven-year-old self from ever entering that place. He was taken out of his musings when he felt a hand on his cheek. He met Light's eyes, they were swimming with sorrow, not pity like he was expecting.

"Were other children treated this way?" she asked, moving closer.

Beyond nodded again. "Yes, myself and one other candidate as L's heir. His name was Alex and he was my best friend." He smiled sadly. "We bonded over our shared hatred of L and his ways, not to mention what we went through to become like him."

Light could feel her heart breaking the more Beyond spoke. She wondered if Mello and Near went through anything similar. "What happened to Alex?"

"He died," said Beyond, his voice shaking as his throat clenched. It was still difficult to talk about, even after all these years. "He killed himself. The pressure broke him."

"Oh god," she said and she sounded genuinely sad. He wanted to kiss her for that. "Beyond, I'm so sorry. That had to be difficult."

Beyond tried to be casual as he shrugged but even he could tell it came off as false bravado. "Yeah well, that wasn't even the worst of it. After Alex died, I overheard the head of the orphanage talking to someone; he said Alex's death wasn't all that surprising. That it was expected." Beyond's hand clenched and Light jumped at the tight grip. "We weren't supposed to succeed L, we were just prototypes and destined to fail." He could feel his heartbeat increase and temper begin to flare. "All Alex and I went through . . . all we were forced to endure . . . was for nothing! And they knew it! They destroyed us and knew we wouldn't be anything other than broken toys."

Light grabbed his hand, almost prying it off her hip in an effort to hold it. She needed to reach him before he lost himself to his memories and anger. Now she knew why he was angry with L and wanted to destroy him and she could hardly blame him. "Beyond, it's okay," she said calmly, squeezing his hand. "Beyond, you're safe, you're with me. Please, calm down."

Beyond felt her squeeze his hand and he squeezed back, using the warmth and weight as an anchor to pull him out of his nightmares. He tried to calm down, counting back from one hundred and taking deep breaths like his psychiatrist at the orphanage taught him, and eventually he felt relaxed enough to breathe normally. When he regained his sense, he laced his fingers with Light's.

"Why did you help me today?" asked Light when she was sure Beyond was recovered.

"You asked me to," he responded, rubbing her thumb with his.

Light smiled briefly. "I know, but you didn't have to listen and you didn't have to do all you did for me either. You could have put me in the tub and left, or left at any other time."

"I know," he agreed, "but I didn't want to. I wasn't about to leave you like that, Light, god what kind of person would I be then? Besides, I'm sure Ryuzaki would've done the same for you, maybe even more."

"I don't think so," said Light with a sigh. "I think he would've been concerned, yes but he would've left me alone or sat with me and did work. I don't think he would've been as hands on as you, and it would've been his child. Soichiro wasn't even yours and you . . . you cared."

Beyond squeezed her fingers and released her hand. "Of course I cared. I just . . . I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I just let you sit there and go through that alone. I'm just sorry I couldn't do more for you."

' _Like prevent you from getting knocked up by that bastard,'_  he thought bitterly as he pushed himself further away. It was one thing to think Light was with a man, but it was an entirely different thing to know it was L.

"What's wrong?" she asked, curious as to why he moved away.

"Nothing," he said harshly and rolled over on his side, snapping his eyes shut against a torrent of tears. Of course L had had her first, that was just how the universe worked, was it not?

Gently Light moved closer and wrapped an arm around his waist, holding him close as she whispered in his ear, "It doesn't matter who was first, what matters is who is last and only."

Beyond's eyes shot open at the words and he rolled his head to look up at Light who was already looking at him, smiling. "Light," he said softly, he sounded more emotional than he intended. "You shouldn't want me."

"And yet I do," she said, carding a hand through his dark locks. "I can't explain it, but I just feel like I shouldn't leave you. So I'm going to stay right here, with you, if you'll have me."

"What about Ryuzaki?" he asked, pushing his hopes to the very bottom of his heart to avoid getting them shattered.

Light shrugged and he snickered.

"I guess you could always claim Stockholm syndrome when you leave," suggested Beyond, trying to keep his tone playful but it killed him to say it out loud. She could very well claim rape if she wanted and no one would think twice.

"When I leave, it'll be with you," she said sternly and he shook his head.

"Light, you shouldn't be with me," he repeated despite how much he wanted this. "I've killed people and not just killed, but mutilated. Yes, right now I seem nice and normal, but what you saw earlier was just a taste of how bad I really am."

"Beyond, that was not the real you," said Light, sounding like a teacher as she played with his hair. "That was the you they created, the you that developed after years of torture and resentment."

' _I can't believe I thought you deserved death,'_  she thought as she gazed down at the man she and the others thought was Kira.  _'If anyone deserves death, it's those people who did this to you.'_

"If you were the monster you claim," continued Light, "then I would still be in that closet, soaked in blood and dying from dehydration. If you were a monster, you wouldn't be with me right now, you'd be with Mikami and enacting whatever revenge plan you cooked up."

He could hardly argue with her there.

"Beyond isn't your real name," she said, stating it as plainly as any fact. "It was one they gave you, right?"

Beyond nodded. "Yeah, we were all given new names. I was called Beyond because they thought I could go beyond L. Alex was called Above out of the hope he would be above L; we were Above and Beyond. Our keepers thought they were so clever."

Light snorted. It did sound like something L would suggest.

"Yeah, stupid," he agreed.

"What's your real name?" asked Light as she nestled down beside Beyond.

"Adam," he replied. "Adam Oliver Taylor. I was born in Devon in the West Country of the UK."

Light smiled. "You don't have much of an accent."

"Oh, that's where you're wrong, girl," said Beyond with a wide smile, addressing her in English with his full accent. "I'm a proud Devonshire man, wouldn't be caught dead sounding like those posh gits up North."

Light laughed. "I must be one of those gits then," said Light, putting on a received pronunciation British accent.

Beyond's eyes sparkled. "And where did you learn to talk like that?"

"Too much British news," she replied and they both laughed.

"You really are something, Light," said Beyond, putting an arm around her waist. "Whoever ends up with you is going to be one lucky son of a bitch."

Light smiled as they cuddled closer, Beyond's eyes were already drifting shut. "What if it's you?"

A faint, sad smile pulled at his lips. "Thanks."

He was asleep a second later, leaving Light to sit and think. In the almost three days she had been with Be—Adam, she felt far more relaxed and at ease than in the few weeks she spent with L. With L, it was always a contest, a battle of wits or wills to see who would cave first or who could raise the bar higher. There was always a game, always a new trick to try, always a new lie to work out. L's life was full of lies and misdirection, and she knew deep down that she would never know all of him and that he would only show her what he wanted.

With Adam, the only game they were playing was who knew more? That game was quickly becoming a draw the more they spoke and yet she was not disappointed, in fact she was glad that they would not have to play any games soon. Today there were not any games, just two people who were hurting and trying to find help. He was blunt where L was vague and very open about his flaws; it was a little startling to have someone so casually admit they killed and mutilated in the past while at the same time admitting they were a terrible person.

Light looked at Beyond. In sleep he seemed peaceful, much more peaceful than he did when he was awake; he always looked like he was ready to leap into some kind of action when he was up. She did not see him as a terrible person, not anymore. She saw him as a very broken young man who needed someone to chase away his fears and put him in his place when he got out of hand. She wanted someone who could meet and challenge her on every level and he was easily capable of doing both.

Light sighed slightly as she curled in towards Beyond or Adam as she now knew. There was so much more to him than what he showed the world and she was determined to peel away every layer and find out who he was underneath all the pain.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW.

L was ready to kill someone. It was now almost a week since he arrested Mikami and in that time, nothing new had happened. The only thing that was different was the killings had stopped but that was hardly news; they stopped the day Light was taken. There was nothing new regarding the Kira case or Light's disappearance and he was starting to feel the pressure to do  _something_.

"What am I missing?" he mumbled to himself as he watched Mikami on the monitor. He was sitting on a cot in a cell Matt arranged, wearing a slightly dirtied pair of sweats with his hands bound behind his back. Nothing they did so far had broken him.

They tried manipulation, deprivation, and even mild psychological torture. Were they going to need to resort to physical torture? They were prepared, but he detested using it. There was something anticlimactic about getting results that way; it made it glaringly obvious that he should have just done that in the first place and saved everyone some time.

L thought over everything he knew about Mikami. He was a staunch supporter of Kira, his sense of justice was rather childish and black and white, he lost his mother at a young age and was bullied a great deal in high school. He had a strange fixation on Light.  _'That's it!'_  he realized.

"Mello," said L, pressing a button in front of him. "I need you to get up here, I have something to discuss with you."

* * *

Light flipped through the Death Note, rereading every page even though she already read each one three times already. She simply could not put it down. It fascinated her. The fact this book existed and was capable of killing anyone should have terrified her but it did not, if anything it thrilled her. She was holding arguably the most powerful weapon in the world and with one quick pen stroke, could kill whomever she wanted. She held life and death in her hands.

"Put that thing down," said Beyond as he entered with two plates of food. "God you haven't stopped playing with it since I let you out."

"I'm not playing with it," said Light as she put the notebook down on the table. "And what do you mean you let me out? I asked and you agreed. We both needed a change of scenery after being in that room for two days."

Beyond smirked as he set down the plates and then sat down at the coffee table. "I didn't hear you complain about being in there with me."

Light rolled her eyes. "You're terrible."

"You love it."

"Says you."

"Alright, foreplay can wait until after we've eaten," said Beyond as he picked up a piece of toast on his plate that was more jam than bread. "How are you feeling today?"

"Better than yesterday," she replied as she forked some scrambled eggs. "I'm not as dizzy or clumsy as before and my bleeding has stopped completely."

"That's good," said Beyond around his mouthful of food. These past couple of days he spent tending Light's injuries and miscarriage; monitoring her concussion and the progress of her recovery while keeping on eye on the blood that came out of her every few hours. It was immensely satisfying to see someone flourish under his care for a change. It made his years of training worth every second.

"Adam, what do you look like without the makeup?" she asked suddenly and he almost choked on his toast.

Beyond ground his teeth as he chewed. Of course she would notice he wore makeup, after all he spent almost an hour in the bathroom every morning applying a fresh coat. It used to be so he could disguise himself as L, now it was just to hide his burned skin. "Why? Tired of looking at L's face?" he asked, trying to make light of the question.

"Aren't you?" she countered and the wind blew out of his sails.

Yes, he was tired of looking like L every day of his life. He was tired of pretending to be someone else when all he wanted was to forget about L and move on. Hell, who was he kidding? Looking like a partially melted mannequin made that impossible.

"I'm not as good looking without it," he said softly, looking down at his plate of food. He suddenly had no appetite.

Light smiled kindly. "I'll be the judge of that."

"Fine," huffed Beyond as he put his toast back on his plate and stood up. "I'm only doing this because you didn't agree that I'm ugly."

"That's fine," said Light, mirth in her eyes as she watched him walk back towards the bathroom before turning back to her breakfast.

Beyond barely managed to not slam the door as he entered the bathroom. Why was he even doing this? He could just say no and not give in to her demands. That was a lie. He was weak against Light. He would give her almost anything she wanted if she batted her eyelashes just right. He shook his head, recalling how he told her he was not about to let her reduce him to a puddle of goo like other men who knew her.

' _I suppose I'm not as strong as I thought.'_

Slowly he made his way over to the sink and pulled out his makeup remover and some cotton pads. His hands shook as he poured the liquid on a couple of the pads. He looked at himself in the shattered part of the mirror. He already looked hideous.

"You don't have to do it," his reflection said. "You can walk away from this and her."

Beyond nodded. "I know."

"She's just prolonging your suffering," encouraged his reflection, its eyes slowly turning red. "She'll leave you and go back to  _him_. You'll have gone through this for nothing. She doesn't care. Just get rid of her. You're better off."

Beyond was about to respond, more out of habit than anything, when his mind went back to that day when Light treated his hand. She had been so gentle with his injury, even if she said it was for an altruistic reason. His mind went forward to when she offered the blanket to him and they slept side by side. If she did not care, would she be so nice? Finally his mind settled on their first night in bed, when Light held his hand and listened to his sob story. If she was so manipulative, so heartless, why did she seem genuinely upset then?

"You're wrong," he said, staring at his reflection, at the part of him that had made itself his friend when he was small and alone. "She does care and you just don't want to accept that I have someone else to lean on. You can say anything you want but I know that Light doesn't see me as a monster or as someone to pity. Now go the hell away, I don't need you anymore."

His reflection glared at him and Beyond smirked as he brought the soaked pads up to his face and began furiously scrubbing at the layers of makeup. The part of him that he conjured as someone to talk to, to comfort him after his family died and he was sent to Wammy's screamed for him to stop. He did not. When the first pads were full of makeup, he reached for more and continued to clean his face. With each stroke he felt weight lifting from his heart and the screaming became louder in his ears. That part of him was dying and he was glad.

Finally he reached for the last pad and soaked it with remover and went over his face one last time, taking away whatever remained of his disguise. When he looked up, his reflection was his own, no longer the twisted side that fed his hatred. His reflection was distorted in the shattered part of the mirror, so he leaned over to the less broken side and prepared himself for the worst. His face was red from the scrubbing but it was not nearly as pale anymore and his eyes seemed brighter without the constant presence of the black circles beneath them. There were natural dark circles but they did not seem as terrible as the false ones.

He looked at his rosy skin and sighed. It was as burnt as he remembered but not as bad as it was three years ago. It pulled strangely at his lips and down his neck, his cheeks looked wrinkled when he smiled, and he still looked like he was melting in places. He looked down at his hands, which had also been covered in concealer. Thanks to his ample amounts of remover, they were more or less clean and displayed the burnt skin beneath. He curled and flexed his fingers watching as the skin on the back of his hand wrinkled and relaxed. They were hideous but at least he still had feeling in his palms and they were not as bad as his feet, which was where he started the fire.

"Let's get this over with," he muttered as he headed for the door, dragging his feet. He was probably going to have to warn Light so she did not scream when she saw him.

Beyond opened the bathroom door and stepped out. He looked up and almost jumped when he saw Light sitting on the bed looking directly at him.

"Light!" he said in surprise as he turned his face away. "I thought you were in the living room."

"I was," she said as she continued to look at him. "You were taking so long I thought you weren't going to come out."

"I was, it's just a process to get it all off," he said, attempting to sound annoyed but secretly he was glad she was concerned. "Anyway, are you prepared to see the freak that is Beyond Birthday?"

"You're not a freak," said Light sternly and he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, just wait," he mumbled as he looked at her, making sure their eyes met.

They stared at each other for a few seconds as Light surveyed his face. It was about as bad as she imagined, although not as bad as it could have been. He still had his ears and his nose and his mouth looked relatively undamaged. The skin seemed tight on his face but at least he had skin and it looked almost normal.

Beyond waited on her final verdict as her eyes roamed over his features. He could feel them boring into him as he stood there. He tried to decipher what she was thinking but she was concealing her thoughts well.

Finally Light got up and walked over to Beyond. Unconsciously he began to step backwards until ultimately he bumped against the wall and Light stood in front of him. He was ready for the worst, figuring it was only inevitable before she voiced her opinion on his appearance and he was sure it was going to be incredibly negative. He closed his eyes, hoping it would lessen the blow if he did not look at the disgust in her eyes.

Light brought her hands up to his face and cupped his cheeks, running her thumb over his cheekbones before she leaned forward and kissed him softly. His eyes shot open the moment their lips touched and as she pulled away, he found that he was breathless.

"You're not a freak," she said firmly. "You're beautiful."

Beyond tried to smirk. "No, that's you, Light. I'm the Phantom of the Opera."

"That's strangely fitting," she said with a chuckle before she kissed him again, this time it was a little deeper and Beyond felt the world falling away.

He reluctantly pulled away. "What are you doing?"

"Kissing you," she stated as if she were stating a fact.

"Why?"

"Because I want to."

"But why?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because you shouldn't want to. I'm a serial killer and a disfigured freak and a—"

She cut him off with a hard kiss.

"You're not a freak," she repeated. "Believe me, Adam, if I didn't want to kiss you I wouldn't but I do and I am. Do you not want me?"

Her words snapped the last of his restraint. Finally he could give in, he knew she would not push him away. Beyond growled low as he gripped her hips and turned her around so she was against the wall, pinning her. She looked at him with a playful gleam in her eye and a faint smirk on her lips.

' _She knew exactly what she was doing,'_  he thought as he returned her smirk.  _'God she's good.'_

Beyond leaned in and kissed her hard like he did that first day. This time she kissed him back, slipping her tongue between his lips without so much as asking permission and he groaned. His tongue met hers in a tangled dance, both fighting for dominance as they forced their way into each other's mouths. Beyond moved his hands under her shirt, rubbing the top of her hips before trailing up, traveling over her curves and up to her chest. He marveled at how warm she was and how soft her skin was; it was like touching a work of art. She moaned in his mouth when his hands made contact with her breasts.

' _Fuck, she's loud,'_  he thought as he squeezed one breast while teasing the nipple on the other. Light's noises became more frequent and increased in pitch. He wondered what noise she would make if he sucked on her breasts and how loud she would be if he were not blocking the sound. The thought caused him to smirk into their kiss and he pulled away. He briefly watched as Light's face fell with confusion and disappointment before it changed to surprise as he pulled up on her shirt. She understood right away and assisted him in removing the garment.

Beyond took a moment to step back and look at her. She was even more gorgeous naked, and he hardly even noticed that she was wearing men's underwear. She could have been wearing a pair of flannel pajamas and he still would have thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Her stomach was flat and toned, her legs were long and firm, her breasts were round and perky. Everything about her cried out for his touch and he did not know where to start.

Light chuckled when she saw his awed expression. "I thought you didn't want to see me naked?"

"I lied," he said before he swooped in to claim a nipple in his mouth.

The moment his lips were around it, Light let out a deep moan, her hands twisted in his hair and she pulled on it hard when he started to suck. Her breathing became erratic and her body heat seemed to increase, especially when he brought his free hand up to play with the neglected breast. She felt like she was going to come undone right then and there.

"Calm down, Light," said Beyond as he kissed the valley between her breasts. "We haven't even gotten started yet." He pressed another kiss on her sternum. "You're acting as if no one's played with your breasts before."

"No one has," she replied, still a little dazed from the feeling of his mouth and hands on her breasts.

"Can't say I'm upset about that," he said with a grin as he went over to the one he had not played with yet and began sucking it with fervor. It may or may not have been because he was glad to know he was touching someplace on her that L neglected.

"Oh god, Adam," she moaned as she held him close against her chest. This feeling was pure bliss.

Beyond groaned when he heard his name, his real name, coming from her lips as a moan. It was so long since he heard it and he was so glad she was using it.

Light was aching between her legs, begging to be filled and stretched. She remembered her first time, that night with L, and how excited she had been then. This blew it out of the water.

Beyond bit down slightly on her nipple and she hissed. She looked down and saw him looking up, almost glaring at her.

"Don't you dare think of him," he snarled as he stood back up. "I'm not him, so don't you even think of comparing us."

Light smiled wickedly. "There is no comparison, Adam. You're much better than him."

That seemed to be enough for him and he started kissing her neck. He was glad she was so tall; it made this easier than having to hunch to reach anything. His kisses trailed from her collarbone to under her ear and as he started going down again, he bit down hard on the crook of her neck. Light threw her head back and hissed as he started to suck, it felt so strange but it excited her greatly.

Beyond drew back and admired where he made his mark. The skin was already starting to darken and he could tell it was going to be there for a while. He was glad.

"I need you," she said, breathless and delirious from her arousal.

"Good," he said as he kissed the mark on her neck. "Because I need you, too."

Light looked at him, her eyes clouded over with lust. "Are you sure? You won't be my first."

Beyond moved so their foreheads were touching. "As long as I'm your last and only, it doesn't fucking matter."

She smiled and gently pushed him away. "Get naked."

"Hmm a direct order," he said teasingly. "I guess I must obey."

"Absolutely," said Light, trying to sound serious but failing.

Beyond smiled as he stood back and began removing his shirt. This morning he would have refused and come up with a million excuses not to, but now that she had seen what he was hiding and still wanted him, all of those insecurities and excuses were silenced. He made a slight show of pulling his white long sleeved shirt over his head, pausing for effect when his pectorals were exposed. He watched her through his eyelashes, making sure she was still looking at him, and he saw her giving an appraising smile; she liked what she saw. Inwardly he was pleased that he stayed in shape while in prison, in his mind it made up for the scarred appearance of his torso and extremities.

With a flourish, he removed his shirt and tossed it on the floor. His hands went to his jeans next and he hesitated for a moment. There was a reason he slept in his pants, his legs were even worse than his upper body; mercifully one part of his anatomy was untouched but the rest of him looked awful.

"Adam," said Light kindly and he looked up at her. Her eyes were shining with lust and sympathy; she seemed to understand his hesitation. "It's okay."

Beyond released the breath he had been holding. Of course it would be all right this was Light. With renewed confidence, he unbuttoned his jeans and pulled down the zipper, his erection thanked him immensely once the pressure was relieved. He then pulled down his jeans and boxers in one swift motion, standing before Light completely naked.

"Your turn," he challenged and she grinned.

Not even a second passed before her underwear was on the ground and she was just as naked as he. Beyond discreetly looked at her underwear, ensuring there was not even a drop of blood to be found. What she went through was traumatic to her body and he was not about to send her into a relapse; he would sooner tear off his arm than put her through that again. Light closed the distance between them and put her hand on his chest, he was warm and his skin was only slightly pulled here. Her hand trailed down, ghosting lightly over his somewhat distorted nipple before reaching his hip and going down a little lower. His skin was far from perfect and it felt a bit strange compared to hers, but she hardly cared. This was the man she wanted and she would take him burnt, blind, or broken.

Beyond reveled in the feel of her hand on him, the warmth he once feared from her seemed to chase away the memory of the fire that destroyed his skin. When her hand wrapped around his length, he thrust into it, groaning as her velvet skin moved along his shaft. With great difficulty he removed her hand and held it in his as he started to back up towards the bed, the back of his knees hit the side and he laid down, pulling Light and she went on top of him.

"We can take this slow," he said as he tried to form coherent thoughts. "I don't want to hurt you."

Light smiled as she took in the sight of him beneath her. His skin was a web of burns and scars, an intricate piece of art she could spend days tracing and still find new trails to follow. His body told the story of his life, how he suffered at the hands of others and how he turned that suffering onto himself. She liked it more than her skin, which was flawless and clean.

"I know," she said as she rolled her hips and he sent his up to meet her movement. "God you feel huge."

Beyond grinned as he trailed his fingertips up and down her legs. She raised herself up just enough to get her hand in between their bodies and she gripped his erection again; at least this time he was prepared for the warmth that would come with her touch. With the most devilish smile Beyond ever saw on her face, she moved up and then impaled herself on his length.

They both let out loud moans of relief. Light felt as if she was going to burst from the feeling of being so full and Beyond's head was swimming as the heat of Light's core surrounded him. It took them both a little while to recover from such a complete and encompassing feeling.

Beyond was the first to regain his senses and slowly began moving his hips up and down, his hands on Light's hips to help guide her to follow. Light caught on quickly and moved her hips to meet his thrusts, rolling them whenever she wanted to take him deeper and adjusting her position so he hit the right spot each time. She alternated between putting her hands on his chest and on his thighs, experimenting with the angles to determine which she liked better; Beyond was more than eager to assist by angling his hips based on her position. It did not take Light long to figure out that it took both of them to make this feel as good as it did.

Light could feel herself unraveling and the heat in her lower body was spreading into other regions like a wildfire. Her blood felt like it was boiling and she felt as if she could not get enough air into her lungs. She looked at Beyond and saw his face contorting with pleasurable frustration and his fingers began digging into her hips as his thrusts grew more erratic. He was just as close as she was and he was hanging on to ensure she got there first.

Just as she thought the feeling inside could not get anymore intense, something exploded from deep within and the fire in her body raged until it seared her eyes and all she saw was white. She was hardly aware that she was almost screaming Beyond's name or that he was screaming hers and clenching her hips so tight there would be bruises. All she was aware of was the feeling of pure pleasure that coursed through her body, as if it replaced her blood. With a shuddering cry she came down from that blissful high and collapsed onto Beyond's chest, his arms wrapped around her protectively and they laid there on the bed trying to collect their minds and breath.

"Jesus fucking Christ," said Beyond when regained the ability of speech. "That was—"

"Mind-blowing," finished Light, now that she could think again.

"Good word," he agreed, rubbing her back as he gently slid out of her. "Did you slip me something before we started?"

Light giggled and shook her head. "No, why?"

"Because that was almost unnaturally good," he replied and she giggled again. He started kissing whatever he could reach, needing to confirm that this was real and that that just happened and that Light was in fact still with him. He was going to be so disappointed if this was nothing more than a very good dream.

"That was just a fluke, right?" suggested Light as she moved to sit up and straddle his hips again. "Sex can't always be like that."

Beyond easily followed this train of thought. "No, I highly doubt it." A wide and sly grin spread across his lips. "Maybe we should do it again just to check."

Light nodded, looking incredibly serious. "I agree. We should definitely test that out again. For research purposes and comparisons."

"So long as you're not comparing me to anyone, I'm fine with that," said Beyond before he grabbed Light's hips and swiftly threw her down onto the mattress. He towered over her, admiring the way she looked below: her hair fanned out and wild, her eyes blown dark with lust and longing, her skin flushed with arousal. She was a vision of perfection and he was going to enjoy every second of what was to come.


	23. Chapter 23

Mikami sighed heavily. He had been in this cell for what felt like weeks rather than days and he was still no closer to getting freed. Part of him assumed that Beyond would do something that would force L to let him go, but there was no word as to whether or not Kira was still active. He would just have to sit here and wait it out. His mind wandered to Light and pondering what she was doing and how she was faring with Beyond; he knew he was treating her right, his fear of death was enough to ensure he stayed in line. Mikami hoped she was counting down the days until they could see each other again, when he could tell her properly how he felt about her.

His crush on Light started when she entered high school, when he was starting his senior year. She was so kind and innocent, eager to see the good in people and smarter than all of her peers. He saw her speak at the opening ceremony and was entranced immediately; in all his years of attending school, he never met or saw a girl like her before. She even smiled at him that day as they passed each other on their way back to their respective class. It was polite and sincere and was enough to give him a glimpse into her soul.

He tried to be everywhere she was just on the chance that she might address him or give him one of those dazzling smiles again. She never did, people always surrounded her and often those people separated her from the rest of the crowd and her many admirers. It was a source of never ending frustration for him. The few times he actually went up to try and talk to her, Takada or Amane would whisk her away somewhere else. It was enough to drive anyone mad.

When he entered university, he continued to go to places where Light might be; he volunteered to chaperone school dances, he went to the festivals and competitions, he even went to the opening and closing ceremonies for the school year. Some might call him a stalker, but they were wrong, he and Light were meant to be together, she just had yet to realize it.

Once she entered her senior year, he knew she would be requesting a college mentor and he signed up when he got the email from his old school. He specifically requested Light and Takada, and to his great relief he was assigned Light. Now he just needed to wait until the assignment began. In that time, he continued to show up where she was, and that included the fateful fraternity party.

He was already acting as Kira then and working with Beyond. He reasoned that he should attend as to not raise suspicion that he was anything less than a typical university student; Beyond encouraged him to try and speak to Light, to see if he could learn anything useful about the investigation. He hardly needed to be told twice. That night he hoped it would be his chance to finally confess everything in his heart but he was once again blocked by someone and this time it was by another suitor. He was strange looking and looked remarkably like Beyond, or rather Beyond looked remarkably like him as he would later learn. The man was L and he was now the one blocking him from his treasure. All he was trying to do was talk to Light and he interrupted and decided to fight; to make matters more frustrating, even though he won, Light actually slapped him! He almost respected L for so quickly manipulating Light into thinking he was the instigator.

When he saw her next, it was when the mentorship started. He decided he would not bring up that awful night; after all this was his first real opportunity to speak to Light without the interference of anyone else and he was not going to waste it by discussing something that was clearly out of her control. That first day with her was magical and glorious. She even indulged him in discussing Kira! It was such a wonderful day, and he knew he would get to repeat it so long as he was her mentor.

Mikami thought about the day he took Light away to be his; the day he knew he needed to get her away from those naysayers and idiots who would only turn her against him. It was such a pleasant day, they sat outside of a café and spoke about Kira, and she argued with him that Kira was not doing as much good as the world thought, especially after those innocent people were killed. He disagreed of course, those people were killed for a reason and if she could not understand, then he would make her see. It was all too easy to drag her away from those idiots assigned to protect her; Beyond had been right, L was monitoring his every move and using Light as bait. It was easy to get rid of her bodyguards. Beyond watched from the sidelines every time they went out and picked out the ones he were sure were guarding Light. He even knew about the chauffer.

It was all too easy, until L arrested him for assault against those three people. Now he was stuck in this cell with no way to communicate with Beyond. The  _shinigami_  was hanging around but that was of no use to him, not with L watching.

A noise at the end of the hall ripped Mikami from his thoughts. He strained to listen, hoping it was Beyond coming to spring him from this place. Footsteps echoed and his heart started to pound in time with them as they drew nearer and nearer to his cell. Finally the creator of the sound was in front of his cell and Mikami leapt up the moment he saw who it was.

"Light!" he exclaimed, rushing over to the bars. "Oh Light, I'm so happy to see you."

"I'm glad to see you as well," she said kindly. "But I'm sorry to say it's like this. What did you do, Mikami? Why were you arrested?"

"L's accusing me of assault," snarled Mikami as he took in Light's appearance. She looked so nice in her dress pants and top, almost like she just left school and came rushing over here. Her hair looked a little windswept as well and her cheeks were rosier than usual. Wait, why was Light here to begin with? She was supposed to be with Beyond. "Why are you here?"

Light smiled gently. "L found me and he's allowed me to see you. I had to come and see you for myself, I couldn't trust him when he said you were well."

Mikami leaned forward and pressed his head between two bars. "I'm glad you're here, Light, I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you, too," she said, moving so her forehead rested against his.

He smirked as he leaned down, his lips slightly parted and Light did the same thing, ready to accept the kiss when he opened his mouth and bit down hard on her lips. Light made a horrified noise and pulled back. Mikami released her and stood back triumphantly watching as Light wiped her mouth furiously as blood poured from several open cuts courtesy of Mikami's teeth.

"You bastard!" said Light in a very masculine voice. "Why'd you bite me?" She then ripped off her hair to reveal short blonde hair held back in a bald cap. "You fucking asshole!"

"I knew it," said Mikami smugly as he looked at the boy. "I knew you weren't Light from almost the moment I saw you. Nice try though, that might have worked on someone else."

Mello glared harshly at Mikami before he did the same to the camera above. "What now, L? That obviously didn't work."

Mikami looked at the camera and frowned. Of course this was another of L's tactics to try and get him to admit his guilt. "I commend your creativity, L," he said to the camera even though the other was not speaking. "On a lesser being, that trick might have worked, but as you can plainly see I wasn't so easily fooled." He was met with silence but he was hardly surprised, L was much more quiet these days. "I see, so that's how you're going to be. Fine, I guess we're done."

He barely noticed when Ryuk melted through the wall.

* * *

"How do you feel?" Beyond asked as he cuddled Light against his chest.

"Sore," she replied as she curled in closer, her back pressed against his chest.

"Good," said Beyond with a chuckle as he pressed a kiss against the very large mark on her neck. He rested his head against the wall behind him. "I don't think I could go again even if I wanted to."

Light smirked as she looked up at him. "Really? Even if I started sucking on it?"

Beyond groaned at the thought of Light's mouth around his cock. That was exactly what started them on their fourth round and while it worked wonders then, it was unlikely to have repeat results. He was far too exhausted and sore to even get an erection right now.

"Even then," he said with a sigh as he held her close. Sitting in bed, with Light in his arms, felt so very right; the entire world could end right now and he would die happy.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Light when she noticed the far off look in his eyes.

"You," he replied with a smile. "And where we go from here."

"Maybe a shower," she suggested with a shrug. "And some food."

Beyond nodded despite that not being what he was thinking. "Good idea." He shifted her in his arms so her head was resting on his shoulder. "Light, are you . . . could you . . . would you . . .?"

Light put a hand to his face and smiled serenely. "Yes, I am happy. Yes, I could see myself staying with you and yes, I will marry you."

"You know damn well I wasn't asking that," teased Beyond as he nuzzled her mussed hair. He took great pride in the fact that her normally well coiffed hair was a mess because of the seemingly endless hours they spent having sex. "But you were spot on with the first two."

"What was the last one about?" she asked, puzzled.

"Would you make me a sandwich?" he said and she playfully hit him on the thigh and he laughed. This was truly perfect.

Suddenly Light tensed and he looked up to see what it was. Ryuk was standing at the foot of the bed, smirking in a way that looked incredibly creepy on the  _shinigami's_  face. Whatever this was about, it was not good.

* * *

"We don't have a choice, L," said Mello as he dabbed his mouth with a handful of tissues while pacing around the room. "We've tried everything else."

L nodded as he ran his fingers over the tops of several sharp instruments. "Yes, I'm well aware of that, Mello."

"Good, so let me have the first go at the bastard," snarled Mello. "I owe him for this."

"It's your own stupid fault," sighed Matt as he played on his handheld, his go to activity whenever there was tension in a room. "You shouldn't have gone in for the kiss. L told you not to do something like that."

Mello shrugged. "I thought it might help gain his trust. How was I supposed to know he saw through it?"

"I noticed," said Near, looking up from his large castle of blocks. "He realized something was wrong when he asked why you were there. I admit though your answer was fairly decent."

The older blonde looked torn between smacking the white haired boy and rubbing his head. He settled for a fond shove in the shoulder. "Yeah well, now we're back in the same spot we were in six hours ago and all we know is only the real Light could get Mikami to confess."

"And we still have no idea where she is," sighed Matt as he glanced at his computer. He had created a computer program that would search for anyone matching Light and Beyond's physical characteristics from camera feed around the country. So far, there were hundreds of sightings and he was still sorting through each one by hand. It was the type of work he despised.

"At this point, it'd take a miracle to find her," sighed Mello as he sat down in a chair beside L. This whole endeavor was proving pointless.

" _Ryuzaki!_ " said Matsuda excitedly, his voice filling the room. " _You should really get back here._ "

"Why?" asked L, rolling his eyes.

" _Because Light's here!_ "


	24. Chapter 24

L knocked down his chair in his haste to get to the stairs, Matt hot on his heels, cursing the fact there were easily accessible exits in this building. They were currently in a renovated warehouse a few blocks away from the police station and a new hotel headquarters, the idea place for privacy when interrogating a possible serial killer.

He threw open the door that led to a back exit and practically flew down the metal stairs as he rushed for the car parked nearby. Matt was still struggling to keep up, trying to run and save his game before he got into the car; he knew L would be impatient and not wait the necessary thirty seconds for him to save his game before he drove. Matt prayed that Watari would recover soon so he would not have to serve as L's chauffer for the rest of his life.

L slid into the back of the car and Matt tumbled into the front seat, slightly breathless as he fished the keys out of his pocket and started the engine. He really needed to get out of his room and get in some exercises if this was going to be a normal reaction. It took him two seconds to put the car in drive and race onto the nearest street, racing towards the hotel as if his life depended on it; and if he was being honest, where L was concerned, it did.

Matt was hardly eager to get there and see Light. He liked her well enough; she was an excellent detective and had a sense of humor when she wanted. What he was dreading was finding out how she escaped and if a certain former protégé was injured in the process. Beyond had been like a big brother to him when he arrived at four years old to the orphanage. He seemed to understand Matt's confusion and anger at being there in the first place. They then bonded through their shared love of games and Beyond was the one who introduced him to the world of video games. He was the one who gave him his first handheld device, a treasure he still had, even years later. Beyond was hardly the monster the rest saw, but he certainly did nothing to help change that image. In fact, he seemed to encourage it.

Regardless of what he did, Matt still did not want to see him dead. He wanted him to live and joke around and be there for him when he needed him most. He wanted his big brother back.

"I hope he's okay," he mumbled to himself as he pulled into the hotel's parking garage, squealing into the first parking spot he found and throwing the car into park just as L darted out of the backseat. He sighed, chasing L was fast becoming his least favorite duty.

The pair raced to the elevator and Matt pressed the button for the floor. If chasing L was bad, then standing in a confined space with him was worse. He kept bouncing and pressing the button, apparently hoping it would make it go faster. Of course it would not, but Matt was not about to tell L any differently. He knew the other man was eager to see Light again and discover how she was able to escape from Beyond's grasp. Matt just wanted to know if he was dead or not.

They finally arrived at their floor and before the doors could open properly, L was squeezing himself through and heading down the hall. Matt groaned and followed suit, not wanting his mentor to injure himself. He caught up just as L entered the suite. He saw Light standing with Naomi, Matsuda's jacket over her shoulders, while the two adults in question hung around her like protective parents. L was standing nearby, looking torn between standing still and tackling her to the ground; Matt was curious as to why that was.

"Light," breathed L as he looked at her. Her face was bruised in places and her hair was messy, he could see bruises on her neck and exposed legs. She looked like she had been through hell. "Light . . . I can't believe you're here."

"Neither can I," she admitted, looking at the ground. "I still feel like it's not real, that I'll wake up and be back there."

L took a step forward and Light stepped back, flinching. Hurt flickered across his features. "Light, I'm sorry we couldn't find you sooner. We've been trying and we were getting close."

Light shrugged, wincing as she moved her arms. "I know, I never stopped believing but . . . I had to get out of there. I can't believe that man was ever your heir."

L moved again and again Light flinched. Matt thought it was a strange little dance.

"Ryuzaki, I think Light needs a bath and some rest," suggested Naomi diplomatically when she saw their interaction. "She might be more willing to talk after that."

L nodded, although he seemed less than pleased with the idea. "That sounds fine. Matt, I want you to stay here and guard Light."

Matt raised an eyebrow behind his goggles. "How the hell do you think you're getting back to headquarters? You know you can't drive yourself."

"Matsuda will drive me," said L flatly, looking to the detective who looked less than thrilled at the prospect. "Hand him the keys and he'll hand you his gun."

Matsuda's eyebrows shot to his hairline. "I will?"

"Thank you for agreeing," said L as he headed for the door while Light and Naomi went into the bathroom. As he passed Matt, L put his hand on his shoulder. "Make sure she's in your sight at all times. I'm not going to let her get taken again."

"Yes, L," said Matt out of the corner of his mouth.

"Wait!" said Naomi as she came sprinting out of the bathroom. There was a black book in her hand. "Light said this is how Kira killed. She found it in Beyond Birthday's possession."

L hurried over and snatched the book from her grasp, his hands trembling as he opened it. The front cover had the words 'Death Note' written in silver across the top and seemed like an ordinary notebook. He flipped open the cover and saw twelve names and scenarios written on the first page. He recognized all of the names as those of Kira's first victims. L shut the book and tucked it into the waistband of his jeans. He would need to study this further.

"Thank you," he said as he caught up with Matsuda, whom he pushed out of the open door. "I will let you know what I find out."

He slammed the door before Matsuda could even protest.

Matt shook his head as he put Matsuda's revolver on the nearby table. There was no way in hell he was using that unreliable gun. It looked like a child took care of it.

"Is Light okay?" asked Matt as he followed Naomi back to the bathroom. He had no intention of going inside, but he was ordered to stand guard, so he would do so from the outside and with his handheld for company.

Naomi shrugged. "She's shaken and appears to have been physically abused by Beyond but other than that, she seems her normal self. I do wonder if that notebook can indeed kill people like she said it could. I only gave it to L to look at, but it seems something about it surprised him."

"I'm sure a notebook was the last thing he expected," said Matt as he took a seat by the door, pulling out his gaming device. "I'll be here if you need anything."

Naomi nodded as she headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

* * *

L stared at the notebook. For intents and purposes, it was just an ordinary notebook with very little in the way of significance. The only thing that made him take it seriously was the fact it was full of names and details describing deaths that were not made public. He flipped through the notebook again, looking at each and every name carefully as well as the hand it was written in. Each name was written by the same person, including the final name, which astounded L the most.

The last name was Beyond Birthday. Next to it was a date and time, scheduled for today at noon. It was now almost two in the afternoon, explaining how Light was able to escape Beyond's clutches. He felt a slight pang in his chest at the thought of his former protégé, he regretted a great deal but it could not be helped now; sitting here thinking about the past certainly did nothing to help him when he was so focused on his present and future.

It would be easy enough to determine whether or not Beyond was dead, once they had the location of his base from Light. From there, Light would be able to bring Mikami to justice and then Kira would no longer exist, if this notebook proved to be the method of death. At this point, he was willing to believe just about anything. He flipped to the final page in the notebook where Beyond's name was written in Mikami's hand. He wondered how long it had been there and why it was there to begin with; perhaps Mikami was simply fed up with him and decided to kill him, maybe he thought Beyond was too much of an unknown to keep alive for much longer, maybe he feared what he would do to Light so he decided to kill the man to save her.

' _No,'_  thought L as he stared at the name.  _'Mikami didn't plan out his kidnapping of Light, so he hardly knew what Beyond would be capable of if left alone with her; it's more likely Beyond disapproved of the plan and in a fit of rage, Mikami wrote his name and the date. He probably kept him alive for so long because he needed to ensure that Light was secure before she lost her guard. Ensuring I could never find her.'_

L sighed and put the notebook down. He desperately wanted to speak to Light and find out how she was doing and how the baby was, he wanted to know why she kept flinching when he came near but he already had an idea. He wanted to know where Beyond was and if this notebook did work. Slowly his eyes went to a pen lying on the table and then back to the notebook.

* * *

"This one looks bad," said Naomi as she inspected Light's various bruises for any to indicate a more serious injury. She was pointing at a large red one on Light's neck. "God, I can't believe he actually bit you."

"Neither can I," she said as she patiently waited for Naomi to finish. "I'm just glad it wasn't anything worse. I thought he would break something."

Naomi nodded as she continued her inspection. She saw ten bruises on Light's hips that seemed strange but given what else she had seen on the poor girl's body, Beyond had a penchant for interesting bruises. "He didn't do anything that would hurt the baby, did he?"

She looked up at Light and saw tears swimming in the girl's eyes. "Oh Light," she said as she held her tightly. "What did he do?"

Light shook her head. "He didn't do anything. I just . . . I lost the baby."

Naomi smoothed her damp hair and held her even tighter. "I'm so sorry, Light. That's never easy, even under the best circumstances."

"How did you know?" asked Light as she pulled away from Naomi.

"I suspected," corrected Naomi gently. "Your symptoms were so . . . so obvious, I was surprised when L just said it was stress. I'm sorry."

Light wiped the tears that fell from her eyes and waved a hand dismissively. "It's alright, there'll be other babies."

Naomi held her hand. "You don't have to be strong, Light, it's okay to mourn and be upset."

There was a split second between Naomi's words and Light's breakdown. She collapsed to the floor, sobbing and Naomi was right by her side, holding her as she cried.

Matt heard the commotion and paused to listen. It struck him as odd that Light's crying sounded so fake.

* * *

"Well, I guess you know it works," said Mello as he watched Mikami convulse on the floor, hand over his heart. "Damn, that is one scary notebook."

L nodded as he glanced down at Mikami's name, written just under Beyond's. "I had to be sure, even if we find Beyond's body, we still need to prove that this notebook is the way Kira killed people. Now we know for sure."

Mello took a bite of his chocolate bar. "I guess even aliases aren't safe from that thing if Beyond's really dead."

"That was his real name, Mihael," said L softly as he traced the letters. "It was changed after he arrived at Wammy's. We discontinued the practice when it became apparent that those with new names gained new and unpredictable personalities. We resorted to using code names instead. You and Nate and Mail are perfect examples of why that system works better than the previous one."

Mello smirked. "I guess we're an improvement on Above and Beyond in more than just brains."

"Yes, I suppose that's true," said L quietly. "Mello, I don't want the three of you to start your own agency."

The blonde turned around on his heel, his eyes ablaze with fury as he glared at his mentor. "And why the hell not?!"

"Because you're no longer L's heirs," replied L with a firm nod. "I plan on returning to the UK after this is over and rebuilding L. I want the three of you there to assist, we'll be an organization rather than just one person. If we present that to the public, that L did not fail but that one in particular did, then L can live on and continue to work."

"What about Light?" asked Mello. "You said she could be Denueve and be your replacement."

L shrugged. "She won't be able to work a great deal, between school and the new baby, so I want to establish this organization before that happens so there is not a gap between detectives."

Mello sighed. He and the others were not thrilled to hear that L had impregnated Light, after all that could mean they were going to be replaced someday, but if it meant getting to work more closely with L, then he could pretend to be happy. "You know she won't like that, she was very much into her role as the greatest detective in the world."

"I know," replied L as he flipped through the notebook again. "But she'll understand when I inform her of the change; it won't happen right away, just after she's given birth."

"You don't want her working after?" asked Mello, sitting down beside the detective. "L, Light's not going to just sit on the sidelines and watch, she'll want to participate."

"Again, I am aware," said L flatly. "After what happened with Mikami and Beyond, I'm not eager to throw her back into work and for her sake, I hope she isn't ready either. She needs to take a break and reevaluate what she wants in life."

"And if she wants to be Denueve?"

"I'll prevent it," replied L simply. "I'll make it almost impossible for her until she gives up the notion. I don't want her in danger again and being Denueve would only increase that chance."

Mello rolled his eyes as be broke the chocolate bar in half. "You're a brave man."

* * *

Matt looked at Light from his position in an armchair. She was sitting on the couch beside him, sipping on a cup of tea Naomi made her before heading out to get some clothes and food for her. They were the only two in the room and he was burning up inside with questions he desperately needed answered. It was a risk, to ask her anything in this place, but it was one he was willing to take.

"Light," said Matt quietly and she looked over at him, a kind light in her eyes. "Where is he?"

Light frowned slightly. "Where is who?"

"Beyond," he said so softly the word almost sounded like an exhale.

"Why are you worried about that?" she asked gently. "He can't hurt you."

Matt shook his head. "It's not that. Beyond means . . . Beyond meant a great deal to me. He was my first friend at Wammy's and acted like a big brother to me. I just . . . I didn't believe it when his name was on L's list but if you got away, then . . ." Despite his best efforts, he started to tear up and fog up his goggles.

Light moved from the sofa and stood beside Matt. She pulled him in for a hug and he willingly allowed it.

"He's not gone," she whispered so quietly, he almost missed it. "Don't react, just listen. He's not gone; he's just hiding right now. I lied to save him from L."

"Why?" asked Matt, curious to know why she helped the murderer.

"Because I love him," she replied, kissing his forehead in a sisterly way. "And without your help, this wouldn't have been possible."

Matt smirked. "It was too easy, I was really disappointed that L wasn't looking harder himself. He trusted me too much."

Light smiled. "I know. He's made that same mistake repeatedly where you and I are concerned. Adam was right when he said he had a mole closer to L than anyone. Thank you for all of your help."

"Anything for my big brother," said Matt happily as he let Light go. "So what's the plan, assuming L buys the story?"

"He'll buy it," said Light as she moved back to the couch. "Adam and I made very sure that it was believable. Right about now, L and Near should be arriving at Beyond's hideout, courtesy of Naomi's text with the information I gave her. They'll arrive only to find a fire being put out, one that was blazing for almost an hour. They'll ask about survivors and be told that the only body recovered is one now more ash than human. If L decides to have it tested for DNA, it'll match the sample on file you so generously provided for us."

Matt grinned. "Like I said, it was too easy. Switching Beyond's DNA with that guy's was child's play; I even made sure to permanently erase Beyond's from every single system and it can't be recovered, at least not without someone of my level looking and L, Mello, and Near aren't even close."

"Good," said Light pleasantly. "You know, I'm surprised you were able to work so quickly, Adam only called you this morning."

"Never doubt me, Light," said Matt cheerily. "When I have the right motivation, I can do just about anything in no time at all."

Light smiled and then it faded. "Isn't this room bugged? Mello probably just heard everything."

Matt shook his head. "Mello heard nothing. The second you got out of the bathroom, I hacked the wires in this room to play on a loop of sounds from previous recordings. Everything we just said wasn't picked up at all." He held up his handheld. "This isn't just for playing games, you know."

"I do now," chuckled Light as she reclined on the sofa. "I'm glad you didn't say anything when you saw me. I was a little concerned that you'd ask about Adam."

"No way, that would've been stupid!" said Matt as he reclined in his chair. "I knew you and he had a handle on the situation, I just wanted to know if he was still here or if he fled the country. Where is he, anyway?"

"Waiting," replied Light with a shrug. "We have to wait until L's satisfied with the notebook and the phony death, then he can come back once L's gone. Mikami's probably dead by now or was when L got to wherever in hell he's holding him; that eliminates one problem, now we just need to sit back and wait for L to go back to the UK with Watari."

"What makes you so sure he'll leave?" asked Matt curiously.

"Because I know L better than he suspects," she replied confidently. "He's been shaken and rattled way too much for his liking. He'll want to return home and regroup, likely try to rebuild his image in some way, which I can't allow for obvious reasons. He'll probably try to take me with him, where I'll be expected to be a good wife and mother, at least until I tell him about the miscarriage." Her lower lip trembled slightly, it was still difficult to talk about but it did work to her advantage.

"What about Adam?" asked Matt cautiously, not wanting to upset Light further.

"He'll be here with me in Japan," replied Light easily. "With L thinking him dead, this is the perfect opportunity to rebuild his life and reputation." She sat up and smiled brightly. "It's a new beginning for all of us, Matt."


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the final chapter, it serves as an epilogue. I'm sorry to anyone who thought this was going to end with L and Light being together. When I wrote this originally, that was the intention but then it took turns I didn't even predict. Still, I hope you enjoyed the ride and thank you for reading. Enjoy!

_Light and Beyond glare at the_ shinigami _, who is clearly enjoying the fact he caught them in the middle of an intimate moment._

" _Am I interrupting?" he asks with a raspy laugh._

_Beyond frowns. "What do you want?"_

" _L has Mikami," replies Ryuk casually. "He's trying to get him to confess but he hasn't yet."_

" _Great, that doesn't explain anything," snaps Beyond and Light nodded in agreement._

_Ryuk rolls his large yellow eyes. "L's apparently getting pretty desperate; he had some young kid dress up as Light and try to seduce Mikami into confessing."_

_Light snickers, recalling one of her last conversations with L about Mello's cross-dressing interests._

" _Hardly surprising," says Beyond with a shrug. "Does Mikami want me to come get him or something?"_

_Ryuk shakes his head. "No, actually he gave up ownership of the notebook. He doesn't have any memory of possessing it."_

_Beyond rolls his eyes. "What a useless fool. Does he really think that claiming memory loss with make L release him? Please, if I were in that situation, I would have done something different. I would've done a lot differently, now that I think about it."_

_Light sits up and looks at him. "Why don't we?"_

" _What?" asked Beyond as he looked at her curiously._

" _Why don't we do things differently?" she reiterates. She moves out of his arms, careful to keep the blanket pressed against her chest and sits so she can look at both Beyond and Ryuk. "We both know that Mikami made mistakes, some rather crucial ones to be honest. Why don't we try to do better?"_

_Beyond is now very confused. "You know that would mean killing people, right?"_

" _Killing criminals," she corrects. "I'm not going to do like Mikami did and kill innocents."_

" _Well, those thirty-six were my idea," says Beyond a little sheepishly. "There weren't enough criminals for the purpose of calling L out the way I intended."_

_Light hardly seems to care. "You know now that it was a bad idea and you won't make the mistake again; Mikami didn't understand that innocents shouldn't be sacrificed like they were and that's where he really screwed up. Killing the patients in the hospital was a terrible idea, even if it was designed to shake the public's view of L."_

_Beyond sat forward. "Are you saying that you want to become Kira, Light?"_

" _Obviously," she says as she looked at Ryuk. "I've read that notebook from cover to cover several times the last few days. I know the rules by heart and I know how people can be killed with it. I know how to make deaths seem unrelated." She squares her shoulders. "Mikami started out with noble intentions, a crime free world is a great idea, but he went way off base in his quest to destroy L and become a god." She looks at Beyond. "I know that you didn't knowingly set those explosives in the hospital, that you thought they were for a different purpose. That's how I know Mikami was behind many of Kira's shortfalls and failures and that you were only acting as a consultant of sorts."_

" _I see," says Beyond, very intrigued by the direction of this conversation. "But who's to say you won't lose your way in your quest to cleanse the world, my dear? Absolute power corrupts absolutely, you know."_

_Light smirks. "I know I won't because I'll have you with me. We'll both act as Kira and work together to help the world. We'll keep each other in check and not do anything that might jeopardize our situation."_

" _What's brought this on, Light? I didn't think you were even interested in something like this," asks Beyond curiously._

" _I've thought about this a lot, actually," she admits, glancing at her lap. Ever since she was given the title and power of Denueve, she contemplated ways of ridding the world of the evil that lurked within, until now she never saw an easy means. "I've always thought there were people the world could do without, especially criminals and other scum who make like difficult for the others."_

" _You know you just described me," says Beyond, obviously uneasy with her definition of scum._

_Light shakes her head. "I used to think that about you, but now I know the truth and there are many other criminals like you who were shaped by their environment. I'm not saying that we should kill all criminals, just the one who are truly evil and will do nothing but hurt others even if they're released back into society." She looks off in the distance. "Yes, it could work."_

_Beyond's lips curl into a slight grin. "I had no idea you were so righteous, Light. You know if you started killing, it would make you a criminal, too."_

" _My soul for the wellbeing of the world? Seems like a fair trade," she says with a shrug as if she were not talking about her place in the hereafter. "Do you have any objections, Adam?"_

" _Not really," he says casually. "The only reason I ever killed was to get back at L, and if I can do that while serving a higher purpose, I'm fine with it." He reached for Light's hand and held it tightly. "And with you acting as Deneuve, we could easily keep L away from the murders if he ever thought there was something suspicious about them."_

_Light raises an eyebrow. "How did you know I'm Deneuve?"_

_Beyond cackles. "Please Light, remember who you're talking to. Alex and I both served as Deneuve and Eraldo Coil at some point in our lives. I knew the second it was announced what L was doing."_

" _But how did you know I was working with him?" she asks, more than a little impressed._

" _I saw Wedy following you one day while you were out with Mikami," he replies with a shrug. "I knew her from my time with L. When I saw her, I figured you were either working for L or at least under his protection, and now you've just confirmed my theory."_

_Light rolled her eyes. "Fine, yes I was working with him and now I'm Deneuve."_

_Beyond smiles cheekily. "So you'll be the world's greatest detective and the world's greatest serial killer. I must say Light, when you aspire, you go for all or nothing."_

_Light smiles widely. "I never do anything by halves, Adam."_

* * *

No, she certainly did not.

Light smiled to herself as she recalled that day almost eight months ago now. It was the beginning of their new world, a world where people could walk the streets without fear, who knew justice would be delivered, who only feared evil if they did it themselves. Already people were responding to the new way, although they were cautious to admit as much out loud, as if afraid someone might swoop in and stop the progress. No one will, not if Denueve has anything to say.

"The perfect set up," she mused as she pulled the Death Note out of her desk drawer.

The day she "escaped" from Beyond's apartment, she left with a working copy of the original notebook. She and Beyond removed the pages that Mikami wrote on and put it in a black leather binding they made themselves with materials Matt provided and that Ryuk delivered; the  _shinigami_  cooperated only because they promised things would become more interesting this way. It was a gamble to trust him, but it was one she was willing to take.

Using Beyond's knowledge of what L knew, they wrote his pseudonym in the back of the notebook in Mikami's handwriting, which Light mastered in only a few tries. The man was anal about a great deal, including his handwriting, which only made it easier for her to copy. Apparently when he came to the orphanage, Beyond's name was changed and L never knew about his real name, assuming that it was a permanent change. This allowed for a loophole in the rules of the Death Note.

Beyond never accepted his new name, which was a requirement for it to be changed in the eyes of a  _shinigami_ , even if it was changed on every official ledger and document. So, even though Beyond Birthday was his name on paper, using it would not kill him because he himself did not accept the name change and fake names could not be used to kill.

In the official Death Note, they wrote that a man matching Beyond's basic description would die of a heart attack in the apartment before being consumed by a fire at a certain time. The man was a criminal, not a well known one, so they forwarded his information to Matt who hacked the system and switched Beyond's DNA profile with that man's so if the body was tested, it would come up as him. The fire was also enough to erase any and all traces of the Death Note from the apartment, just in case. Beyond took the Death Note and hid with it someplace only he knew about until Light gave him the all clear, then he came back and gave it to her, the rightful owner since Mikami gave up ownership before his death.

Light sighed happily as she flipped through the pages. There were not nearly as many deaths as before and that was her plan; she was spacing them out and killing by other means so they did not seem as suspicious. It was the only way to keep L from noticing.

She frowned a little as she thought about L. In her heart and in the view of many others, she and he were no longer together; she said it was due to trauma sustained from being with Beyond, that seeing him reminded her of her days in captivity. She even had a psychiatrist diagnose her with PTSD. Despite this, he still remained steadfast in the belief that she would eventually come back to him, even though as of right now she had not given any indication that that was the case. L did not know when to quit.

Matt returned to the UK with Mello, Near, L, and Watari. He wanted to stay with Light and Beyond, but they both thought it would be a better idea to maintain their mole in his organization. He frequently sent them updates on L's current status and his movements; he did plan on visiting them for the summer though, as part of a training exercise Light set up for him.

The Kira Case was officially solved and closed by Denueve, cementing her position as the greatest detective in the world. It was a little complicated to explain why Mikami dropped dead, but with Matt's help again, they were able to rewrite Mikami's medical records to say that he had a heart condition. The stress of being found out as Kira caused his heart to fail, according to the official report. The fake notebook was burned in front of the world leaders and they praised Denueve as a hero and shunned L as a disappointment.

Light chuckled to herself. L was doing exactly as she thought and attempting to rebuild his reputation by creating an organization of Ls. She hardly cared right now, they were little more than a start up business marred by the reputation of their weak leader, while she was standing in the spotlight with a number of cases under her belt including the one L could not solve. She was sure they would eventually pose a problem but she was working on a few contingency plans for that day.

"Hello my beautiful wife," said Beyond as he entered her office, wearing a white medical coat.

' _It must be later than I thought if he's already home,'_  she thought as she rose to greet him. "Hello my wonderful husband." She put the notebook on her desk.

He spotted it and grinned. "Working hard today? I daresay you're the hardest working woman in the world."

Light smiled as they embraced. "There's no rest for the wicked, my love. How was work at the clinic?"

"Wonderful," he replied as he kissed her cheek. "I love working there, there's always something new to discover and someone new to breakdown to their molecules."

"As long as you aren't actually breaking anyone down," she said with a warning in her voice and Beyond chuckled.

"Always suspicious," he said with a wide grin. "No, I haven't harmed a single soul since I started working there. I promise."

"I know," said Light pleasantly. "I'm sure it would've made the news."

"I don't do anything halfway," he said, repeating her words from that fateful day.

"And that's why we work so well together," she said as she rested her head against his shoulder.

It was amazing how much Beyond changed in just two months and not just physically either, thanks to some excellent plastic surgeons and a haircut. Beyond was now interested in helping people and did so by making use of his skills as a physician, now he had a reputation in the city as one of the best up and coming doctors. He often said that he and Light made an excellent team as they both worked to keep people safe from harm, although he was not above violating his Hippocratic oath by writing names down in the Death Note whenever Light was unavailable.

Everything was perfect.

"Adam," she said, pulling away so she could look up at him.

"Yes?" he asked, brushing some hair out of her face.

"I'm pregnant," she said with a smile and his stretched to the widest she had ever seen.

They embraced each other tighter, both of them looking forward to the future and what it might entail for them, their child, and the world.


End file.
